Finnair plays an important role in its operating areas at home and abroad. For more than 80 years, Finnair's route network has expanded as Finnish society and business life have open up to the world. More than 170 million passengers have flown on blue and white wings.

Finnair has significant expectations to fulfil in its role in society. A glittering history is no guarantee of future success. Today and in the future, Finnair must be able to meet the growing, diverse needs of Finnish and international customers. This is possible only if operations are competitive and profitable in the long term.

A comprehensive route network, an efficient, environmentally positive fleet and expert personnel are also the cornerstones of future activity. Development must take place, however, in harmony with the surrounding society and environment. That's why Finnair's business objective is to achieve sustainable, profitable growth.

Air transport - a part of modern society
Finnair also wishes to stimulate discussion on new aspects of air transport and its right to exist.

Efficient transport links and services are a prerequisite of modern Western society. Finnair, with its highly efficient and extensive route network, is an important part of the structure and competitiveness of Finnish society. Direct links to 40 international and 16 domestic destinations, plus 60 leisure flight destinations, constitute an exceptionally diverse route network.

Air transport in Finland is the only form of public transport that does not need taxpayers' support. Finnair, indeed, finances a significant part of Finland's air transport infrastructure and generates for society tax revenues as well as financial profit.

Finnair directly employs more than 9,000 people, and indirectly thousands more, in different parts of Finland and the world. Rapidly growing Asian traffic has provided work for more than a thousand Finnair employees.

Finnair takes responsibility for the environment by flying to its destinations using the shortest possible routes and continuing to renew its fleet. Finnair is ready to support an open, global emissions trading scheme that does not distort competition. Customers can impact the amount of emissions their flight creates by choosing an airline with a modern fleet and direct routes.

Competition the engine of sustainable development
Only a financially competitive company has what it takes to fulfil its social obligations. Air transport is an extremely competitive sector in which operating conditions are changing very quickly. Surprising, unforeseen events can in a instant present the entire industry with new challenges.

Over the years, Finnair has had to make painful decisions to preserve the company's viability and in order to secure sustainable competitiveness and high service quality for the future, too.

Pursuing responsible profitability and a sustainable growth strategy creates the financial health that enables future investments to be made. Taking the demands of sustainable development more widely into account in air transport and tourism is a guiding principle in Finnair's decision-making. A large-scale environmentally positive fleet renewal programme began in 1999. The average age of Finnair's European fleet is already under four years and the long-haul fleet will be renewed by spring 2010.

The charitable partnership of Finnair and UNICEF of over ten years is indicative of Finnair's desire to make a tangible impact in areas where conditions for life are not automatically within reach.

No short cut to responsibility
Finnair's reputation as a high quality and responsible Finnish operator is the result of many years of goal-directed work. Operating successfully is a challenge even during periods of steady growth, to say nothing of the turbulence encountered during the external shocks of recent years.

Social responsibility is a fundamental attitude, a way of working and responding to the expectations placed on a company's activities. Finnair aims to belong to the elite in terms of quality, to bear its responsibilities and to act as a good example.