AFTER THE WAR
After the war, the Finnish State acquired a majority holding in the company. In 1968, the company was renamed Finnair. New aircraft enabled Finnair to enter new markets and the international route network expanded rapidly.
YEARS 1946-1951
Gunnar Ståhle was succeeded as Aero's managing director first by C.J. Ehrnrooth and then by Uolevi Raade. On 14 June 1947, Lieutenant-General Leonard Grandell was appointed managing director.
In 1946, the Finnish State acquired a majority holding in the company. The remaining 30 per cent of the shares continued to be held by private shareholders, mainly companies. Ownership of the company remains roughly the same today.
Aero's administration was reorganised. A 12-member Supervisory Board (later increased to 18 members) appointed a six-member Board of Directors, with the Chairman of the Board also serving as the company's President & CEO.
DC-3s arrive, the fleet is standardised
Aero decided on the DC-3 as its new aircraft type, as hundreds of these were available from US surplus stocks in Europe. Many other airlines made the same choice, since the DC-3 was one of the most modern aircraft available in the post-war world.
The DC-3s began operating in May 1947. Aero started to use the name Finnish Air Lines on its aircraft. In June the same year, the airline recruited its first stewardesses to work on the DC-3s. Initially they only flew on the Helsinki-Kemi and Helsinki-Kuopio routes.
The acquisition of the DC-3s was followed by standardisation of the fleet: in 1947, the last Rapide was sold and the DC-2s were withdrawn from service. Two Ju-52/3m aircraft remained in service until 1949, when they were also retired.
On 3 November 1947, Aero resumed international flights on the Helsinki-Stockholm route. In March 1948, scheduled flights started to Copenhagen and in July to Amsterdam.
In 1949, Aero became a member of the new IATA (International Air Transport Association) and was given the airline code, AY, which is still in use (by Finnair) today. In 1951 Aero flew from Helsinki to nine domestic and four foreign destinations.
YEARS 1952-1959
1952 was a notable year, not only for Aero but for the whole of Finland. The Helsinki Olympic Games increased passenger numbers and in 1952 Aero carried more than 100,000 passengers for the first time.
In June, Helsinki Airport was opened, near Seutula. The official opening took place on 10 July, and by October all flights had been transferred from Malmi to the new airport.
Although Aero converted its original 21-seat DC-3s to carry 26 passengers, aircraft of this type had had their day. In September 1951, Aero ordered three twin-engine Convair 340s from the USA.
First Western airline to Moscow
The Convair had a modern fuselage, engines and systems. It also featured a pressurised cabin. The aircraft was put into service on 19 April 1953 on the Helsinki-Copenhagen-Dusseldorf route. Initially it carried 44 passengers, but the number was later increased to 52. In the period 1953-1964, Aero purchased a total of eight Convair 340s or the more advanced version, the Convair 440 Metropolitan.
In spring 1953, Aero started to use the name Finnair in its marketing. This became the company's official name on 25 June 1968.
With the Convairs, the route network expanded. In October 1953, a new route to Paris was inaugurated and in September 1954 one to London. The Moscow route was opened on 18 February 1956, making Finnair the first Western airline to begin a service to the Soviet capital after the Second World War.
The number of flight destinations in Finland also increased. In 1957 the domestic network was among the densest in Europe. This network was serviced by DC-3s, but by March 1955 the passenger volume had grown to such an extent that the Convair was pressed into temporary service.
Expansion was so rapid at this time, that in 1956 Finnair set up a committee to select a successor to the Convair 440. The committee decided to recommend the French Sud SE-210 Caravelle passenger jet. The Caravelle was the first commercial jet aircraft to be designed for short- and medium-haul flights.
On 18 January 1958, the company ordered three Caravelle IAs for delivery in spring 1960. Finnair became the first small airline to enter the jet age.
YEARS 1960-1968
Compared with Finnair's earlier aircraft, the Caravelle was completely different. The two Rolls-Royce Avon jet engines delivered a cruising speed of 800 kph, yet the cabin noise level was exceptionally low.
The seating layout in the Finnair version was initially for 16 first class and 57 economy class passengers. Finnair was the first airline in the world to operate a jet passenger aircraft with a flight deck crew of two, instead of the normal three.
Finnair took delivery of its first Caravelle IA on 21 February 1960, and it arrived in Helsinki a day later. On 1 April, the aircraft went into service on the Helsinki-Copenhagen-Cologne-Frankfurt and Helsinki-Stockholm routes. Jet services quickly followed to Hamburg, Amsterdam, London and Paris. Later, Zurich and Malmö were also added to the jet aircraft network.
In February 1962, Finnair received its fourth Caravelle. This was a Caravelle II, heavier than its predecessors and equipped with more powerful engines. The three older Caravelles were converted to the improved Caravelle version in 1961.
European charter flights enter the jet age
The delivery of the fourth Caravelle gave Finnair increased capacity for charter flights. During the late 1950s, the company's activities in that sector had been limited by IATA regulations forbidding members to operate package tour charter flights.
In 1961 Finnair founded a charter-flight subsidiary, Polar-Air Oy. Apart from a managing director and a sales representative, the company had no organisation of its own, and all flights were handled by Finnair.
On 30 November 1962, Finnair acquired a 27 per cent controlling interest in another Finnish airline, Karair.<0}
One year later, the companies concluded a cooperation agreement which, practically speaking, terminated the operations of Polar-Air. The company name, however, remained in use on charter flights to Israel until the early 1970s.
In spring 1962, Caravelle charter flights began to Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca and Rimini, In this way Finnair, via Polar-Air, moved European charter flight traffic into the jet age. The company was one of the first to use jet aircraft for European charters.
New conquests with the Caravelle
With the Caravelle, Finnair also made other conquests. On 21 April 1961, jet flights began to Moscow, and on 15 December the first domestic Caravelle flight was made, from Helsinki to Oulu. Caravelles were leased to other airlines, and in summer 1962 Finnair operated, for example, the Frankfurt-Paris route for Lufthansa.
In 1960 the company gained a new President & CEO when, on the retirement of General Grandell, Gunnar Korhonen was appointed to the position.
The Finnair Aviation Academy (now the Finnish Aviation Academy) opened on 1 January 1964. Over the years, this academy - initially intended for training pilots - has also served as a seat of learning for students preparing for other areas of commercial aviation, including ground handling tasks.
In July 1964, Finnair acquired its first SudSE.210 Caravelle 10B3, which the company called the Super Caravelle. The aircraft's Pratt & Whitney JT8D jet engines were more economical. and it also had a larger passenger capacity.
The Super Caravelles started operating in August 1964 and they were soon flying to Milan, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Luxembourg, Barcelona and Malaga.
New European routes followed. On 4 April 1964 scheduled flights began to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and in 1965 to Athens, Dubrovnik and Brussels.
In the period 1964-1967 Finnair took delivery of eight Super Caravelles. By 1967, jets were flying 95 per cent of the company's scheduled traffic.
The late 1960s marked a period of major change for Finnair. In autumn 1966, the State began the construction of a new terminal building for Helsinki Airport. This was completed in spring 1969. Then, at the beginning of 1968, Finnair launched a new company logo and officially changed its name to Finnair Oy. That same year, the company carried one million passengers for the first time.
YEARS 1969-1974
On 1 January 1966, Finnair opened an office in New York. In November, the company placed orders for two Douglas DC-8-62CF aircraft. This was a four-engine jet, designed for exceptionally long-range flights. The normal route version carried 16 first-class and 124 economy-class passengers.
A leap across the Atlantic
Finnair's first DC-8 arrived in Helsinki on 8 February 1969, and 20 days later it began operating on charter routes. Finnair flights from Helsinki via Copenhagen and Amsterdam to New York began on 15 May 1969.
In May 1970, the company entered the computer age, when the Finnload check-in system was introduced at Helsinki Airport.
During August, part of the cabin was reserved for non-smokers on the London route. Since March 1972, non-smoking sections have been standard practice on all flights.
In the early 1970s, Finnair invested heavily in hotel and travel agency operations. In March 1972, a new head office was opened at the address Mannerheimintie 102 in Helsinki. The FINNRES automated reservation system was introduced the following year.
In September 1970, Finnair ordered eight McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10s, mainly for domestic flights. The first of these arrived in Finland on 23 January 1972 and went into service on 1 April.
New domestic routes were Kuusamo (1972) as well as Mikkeli and Savonlinna (1973). In 1971 a route was opened to Lisbon and in 1973 scheduled flights began to East Berlin and Warsaw.
YEARS 1975-1982
In December 1970, Finnair ordered two wide-bodied McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s. The first of the aircraft arrived in Finland on 4 February 1975 and made a commercial flight ten days later from Helsinki to Las Palmas. On 27 March 1975, the "Ten" started trans-Atlantic operations.
Both scheduled and charter flight traffic was expanded to new locations. In November 1976, flights to Bangkok began and continued during the winter season until 1982. In 1977, Finnair participated for the first time in carrying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Fleet continually modernised
In the period 1976-1981, Finnair took delivery of twelve McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51s, the first of which went into service in February 1976. This aircraft became the backbone of the company's European fleet, and it was also used for domestic and charter flights.
In March 1977, Helsinki Airport was renamed Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, and in April 1977 Finnair added Montreal to its North American destinations.
In June 1979, a subsidiary, Finnaviation, was established, with Finnair having a 60 per cent holding. At that time, Finnaviation operated scheduled flights with three 17-seater Embraer Bandeirante aircraft, as well as providing general maintenance and repairs.
In 1980, Finnair purchased three McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41s, which were delivered the following year. A further three were delivered in 1982-1983. The aircraft eventually replaced the DC-9-10s on domestic and Scandinavian routes.
In April 1980, the Convair Metropolitans were taken out of service and replaced by two Fokker F27 Friendship MK 200 turboprop aircraft, which were used in domestic traffic.
After 27 years of service, the last Convair was donated to the Finnish Aviation Museum in November 1980. The Fokker F27 was a temporary solution, because in 1986-87 the aircraft was replaced by the ATR 42-200. Finnair ordered five ATRs in April 1982.
New destinations on different continents
On 3 November 1979, Finnair introduced flights to Cairo and on 3 April 1980 to Baghdad. The latter route was suspended in September as a result of the Iran-Iraq war.
On 16 May 1981, Finnair opened a route to Seattle and Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA. On 1 November, the company introduced the Executive Class for business travellers. The Inter-Continental Helsinki, which opened in 1972, passed fully into Finnair's ownership on 26 May 1981.
In August 1981, Finnair acquired its third DC-10-30. In April 1982, flights began to Amman, Jordan, but these were discontinued as unprofitable in January 1983.
On 1 April 1982, Finnair re-introduced the name Aero Oy: a new subsidiary Aero Oy was founded to handle sales of technical services as well as aircraft sales and leasing operations.
YEARS 1983-1987
On 22 April 1983, Finnair began non-stop flights from Helsinki to Tokyo using a DC-10-30 aircraft, the N345HC (OH-LHC), which was equipped with extra fuel tanks.
In April 1983 the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Super 82, i.e. the MD-82, went into service. There were three of such aircraft and they were assigned to European trunk routes to replace the DC-9-51.
The last regular route flight with a Super Caravelle took place in April 1983. The company had flown the Caravelle aircraft for 23 years.
Santa's Official Airline
In summer, flights from Helsinki to Seattle and Los Angeles were changed to non-stop services. Previously the route was Helsinki-Seattle-Los Angeles. In winter, flights resumed to Cairo and Warsaw.
Finnair was named "The Official Carrier of Santa Claus".
In 1985 Finnair established, in connection with its IT department, a new independent profit centre ATRAIMEN (Automatic Travel Information), which offered a range of travel sector services and products such as hotel and travel agency services and reservation systems "at the touch of a button".
The Spanish authorities withdrew from Finnair, in terms of its Helsinki-Luxembourg-Malaga route, the right to operate between Luxembourg and Malaga, which compelled the company to discontinue the route from the start of the summer timetable season.
In June 1985, a second weekly flight was introduced on the Helsinki-Tokyo route. This service was provided for five months. Finnair's Tokyo flight was the world's only non-stop flight between Western Europe and Japan.
New blue Finnair look
The first of two MD-83 aircraft ordered by Finnair - the first European airline to do so - arrived in Finland on 27 June 1985. The aircraft were used on the longest European and domestic scheduled flights. The MD-83 interior was the first to be given the new blue Finnair look, which was gradually extended to cover all of the other aircraft over a two-year period.
Risto Ojanen, formerly Executive Vice President, Marketing, was appointed President & CEO on 1 September 1985. His predecessor, Gunnar Korhonen, continued as Chairman of the Board.
Finnair acquired eight McDonnell Douglas 116-seat MD-87 aircraft for use mainly in European scheduled traffic. Deliveries of the aircraft began in September 1987, with the last aircraft arriving in April 1991.
Weekly to Southeast Asia
In autumn 1985, training of commercial pilots moved from Kuopio to Pori. Commercial pilot training began in Pori on 29 October 1985, with the first basic training course being given in June-July 1986.
A new route, Bangkok-Singapore, opened on 3 December 1985, while direct flights to Madrid and Lisbon were the main highlights of the winter timetable season. The start of the new, once-a-week service to Southeast Asia had become necessary, particularly due to strongly growing trade links between Finland and the region.
In January 1986, Finnair acquired a DC-10 flight deck simulator to enhance crew training. The acquisition, amounting to millions of Finnish marks, had become necessary as a result of the company's expanded DC-10 fleet and its growing number of flight crews as scheduled traffic increased.
In January 1986, Finnair signed an agreement in Paris with the French-Italian ATR consortium for the purchase of five 66-70-seat ATR-72 turboprop aircraft, intended for short domestic routes.
Finnair's MD-80 cabin simulator, a source of pride for the aircraft industry in its day, was delivered to the McDonnell Douglas Corporation in January. The MD-80 cabin simulator included a MD-80 fuselage section made in Savonlinna and a tail cone made in Vantaa as well as electrical and compressed air equipment.
Well-earned retirement for DC-9-10s
An era in Finnair's domestic flight traffic ended when the DC-9-10 aircraft carried its last passengers on 31 January 1986. The aircraft flew for 15 years in Finnair's domestic traffic. They were jets designed for use on short routes, and their excellent technical specifications cut flying times after the propeller aircraft era.
From February 1986, cabin attendants (male and female) as well as ground handling and ticket sales staff started wearing new standard dark-blue uniforms. The colours of the uniforms harmonised with the new interior design of Finnair's aircraft.
The first of the five French-Italian ATR 42 turboprop aircraft ordered by Finnair was handed over to the company at the Aerospatiale factory in Toulouse, France on 13 March. The aircraft made its first commercial flight on 19 March 1986.
In April, Finnair decide to acquire two wide-bodied A300B4 aircraft from the Pan-European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie. The new 308-seat aircraft was used for charter flights operated by Finnair and Karair.
News services, satellite phones and Airbuses
In August 1986 Finnair began a news service trial on its Bangkok-Singapore route. When travelling towards Southeast Asia, first and business class passengers received a summary of the financial and business news in the press of the region. Similarly, when travelling back to Europe, passengers received a summary of news from Finland and the rest of Europe.
In October, Finnair announced that it would be the first airline in the world to acquire satellite telephones for its DC-10 aircraft, enabling passengers to call from the aircraft via satellite to anywhere in the world.
In November, the Supervisory Board appointed Antti Potila as the company's next President & CEO. Potila joined the company on 1 March 1987 and took over the duties of President & CEO on 31 August 1987. Gunnar Korhonen retired, after serving as the company's CEO and Chairman of the Board since 1960.
The McDonnell Douglas aircraft manufacturer presented a prototype of its newest aircraft, the MD-87. Finnair and Austrian Airlines were the first to order the aircraft. The aircraft was presented to the media for the first time on 23 October 1986, and its maiden flight took place at Long Beach, California on 4 December 1986.
Finnair's first Airbus A300B4-203 landed at Helsinki-Vantaa on 12 December 1986. Five days later, the wide-bodied aircraft flew in Karair's colours to Lanzarote.
In March 1987, Finnair second Airbus arrived. Also in March, scheduled flights began to two new European destinations, Munich and Geneva.
In November, Finnair became the first airline in the world to operate flights with the McDonnell Douglas Corporation's latest aircraft, the twin-engine MD-87 jet. The MD-87 aircraft was particularly suitable for long-haul routes where the passengers numbers did not justify the use of the larger MD-80.
First Western European airline direct to China
On 9 January 1988, the second MD-87 arrived in Finland. Four MD-87s in all were ordered by Finnair, and the company had an option for a further three.
An agreement making Finnair a member of Amadeus - the European travel service distribution system - was signed on 2 February. Amadeus is a computer-based multi-national system through which it is possible to make flight, hotel, train and coach bookings, car-hire reservations and other ticket reservations worldwide.
On 2 June, direct flights from Helsinki to Beijing began. The flights represented the first direct connection between Europe and China by a Western European airline.
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