HELSINKI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Finland's flag carrier Finnair and Shanghai-based Juneyao Air will enter into a joint business partnership on July 1 this year on the Helsinki-Shanghai route and beyond, Finnair said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
Customers of Finnair will benefit from improved connectivity to a network of 57 destinations in China from Juneyao's Shanghai Pudong hub, and customers of Juneyao will enjoy better access to Finnair's extensive network of 65 European destinations through its Helsinki hub, Finnair said.
The partnership will offer corporate and leisure customers more flexible route choices, attractive fares and more benefits for frequent flyers.
Finnair and Juneyao customers will also benefit from more consistent customer policies, such as baggage allowance, integrated customer service and enhanced accumulation of frequent flyer bonus points across the two airlines.
"This is a true win-win partnership, which will enable Finnair and Juneyao customers to enjoy greatly improved access to our joint network," said Topi Manner, Finnair's chief executive officer (CEO), in the press release.
He added that it is also a testament to Finnair's unshakable commitment to China as a strategic market. Finnair looks forward to working closely with Juneyao to build an even stronger bridge between China and Europe through the airlines' Helsinki and Shanghai hubs.
Zhao Hongliang, CEO of Juneyao Air, said in the press release that the joint business with Finnair will allow Juneyao Air to "further strengthen" its market in Europe.
Finnair and Juneyao Air currently operate two flights per week between Helsinki and Shanghai and look forward to increasing frequencies as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic situation allows. Under normal conditions in 2019, the two airlines operated daily flights between Helsinki and Shanghai.
The two carriers started codeshare cooperation in July 2019, when Juneyao Air launched its Shanghai-Helsinki route. A reciprocal agreement for Finnair Plus and Juneyao Air Club frequent flyer members entered into force in August 2019, allowing customers to collect and redeem miles and points throughout each airline's entire network. Enditem
