Finnair has announced that flights will start going to Luxembourg, Valencia in Spain and Turin in Italy for summer 2026.
Finnair Makes Key European Routes Year-Round
Finnair has confirmed that several of its newest European additions will now operate beyond the traditional summer season, signalling confidence in sustained demand across its short-haul network. The move will see services from its Helsinki hub to Luxembourg, Valencia and Turin transition into year-round operations, strengthening connectivity between Northern and Southern Europe.
Antti Tolvanen, Finnair’s senior vice president, network and revenue optimisation, said: “We are constantly developing our network and increasing capacity where it best serves our customers… Year-round connections ensure that our customers can enjoy smooth and reliable travel options throughout the seasons.”
Originally planned as summer 2026 launches, the routes have performed strongly enough in forward bookings to justify winter continuation. For passengers, this means greater schedule stability and more consistent access to both leisure and business markets without the disruption of seasonal suspensions.
Operating via Helsinki, Finnair’s central hub strategy remains pivotal. The airport’s geographic positioning continues to allow efficient onward connections to Asia and North America, meaning these European additions are not just point-to-point services, but part of a broader long-haul feed strategy.
Strengthening Winter Sun and Alpine Demand
Two distinct travel segments stand out in this expansion: winter sun and winter sports.
Flights to Valencia will continue through the colder months, offering Northern European travellers a reliable Mediterranean escape. With consistent weekly frequencies, the route supports both city-break tourism and visiting friends and relatives traffic during the off-peak season.
Meanwhile, Turin will see winter operations tailored around peak ski demand, with increased frequencies during the busiest Alpine months. Positioned as a gateway to Italy’s north-western ski resorts, the service taps directly into seasonal leisure flows while still maintaining broader year-round relevance.
In addition, Luxembourg transitions into a permanent part of the network, reinforcing business travel links between Finland and one of Europe’s major financial centres. This route in particular reflects Finnair’s focus on maintaining a balanced portfolio of corporate and leisure destinations.
Rather than pursuing rapid long-haul expansion alone, Finnair’s latest decision highlights a more measured approach: consolidating promising new European routes and embedding them into the permanent schedule. By converting seasonal launches into year-round commitments, the airline strengthens network resilience while giving passengers greater certainty when planning future travel.
Luxembourg has risen to four weekly winter flights, Valencia maintains four weekly services through winter, and Turin operates weekly in winter, increasing during peak ski season and to three weekly in summer. Stavanger and Umeå also remain permanent fixtures.
Combined with Finnair’s wider expansion, including new European routes and long-haul launches to Toronto and Melbourne, travellers gain stronger connectivity and more consistent options through Helsinki in 2026 and beyond.
Will you be using Finnair this year? If so, where will you be travelling to?
