A lot of expectations are placed on the technologies of the future in solving the emission challenges of flying. When can we expect electric planes or synthetic fuels to be commonplace?

Choosing to spend your holidays during the quieter months gives you the opportunity to enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere and different experiences. Off-season travel can also have more positive sustainability impact. Here are our five good reasons to travel outside the high season.

In spring 2018, Finnair Kitchen assessed the total amount of single-use plastic generated in flight operations and set an ambitious goal of halving plastic waste by the end of 2022. The goal was reached in August 2022. However, the development doesn’t stop here – the plan is to make operations and recycling even more efficient.

On 27 September we celebrate the World Tourism Day, which reminds us of the importance of tourism as a means of livelihood. The tourism industry is one of the sectors that was hit particularly hard by the more than two-year long corona pandemic when customers were lost from both hotels and service companies.

March this year Finnair launched a carbon offset service, where you can calculate and compensate for your flight's emissions. When you use the service, you join our journey towards carbon neutrality.

Finnair is working for more sustainable travel every day, but you as our customer can also make an impact on how green your travels turn out to be. Make these clever choices on your next trip, as tipped by Eveliina Huurre, our Senior Vice President, Sustainability.

Finnish consumers ranked Finnair as the most sustainable brand among the 8 airlines included in the Sustainable Brand Index 2022 survey. *

Intermodality means combining different methods of travel in a single trip and it is one of the ways we can make travelling more environmentally friendly. In Central Europe there are positive experiences from the introduction of travel chains.

Through optimizing fleet use Finnair is making a big impact on fuel efficiency. Several custom designed tools help keep costs and emissions down.

Finnair's catering services are developing several areas within recycling and material efficiency. The amount and types of waste has been evaluated in 2019 and 2020 waste audits as well as a thesis completed recently. The information gathered helps find effective action points.

Earlier this year, Finnair and recycling partner Kuusakoski dismantled and recycled a 21-year old Airbus A319 aircraft that had reached the end of its economic life cycle.  We originally estimated to be able to reuse and recycle about 90-95% of the aircraft. The final recovery rate was even higher than expected: only 0.8% of the aircraft ended up in disposal.

This was the first ever commercial passenger aircraft recycled in Finland.

Finnair has signed a letter of interest with pioneering Swedish sustainable aviation company Heart Aerospace and could acquire up to 20 of its 19-seater ES-19 electric aircraft for use on shortest haul routes.

Finnish consumers ranked Finnair as the most sustainable brand within airlines in the Sustainable Brand Index 2021 survey.*

We recently announced the dismantling and recycling of an Airbus A319 aircraft in Finland. Since then, we've received several enquiries about whether it's possible to purchase parts of the aircraft.

Carbon emissions caused by fuel burn form an airline’s biggest environmental impact. That’s why one of the most important ways to decrease the environmental impact of aviation is to improve fuel efficiency. Finnair has been investing in this for years. 

Finnair is no stranger to recycling its old planes sustainably, ensuring parts can be reused and waste is kept to a minimum.

The joint challenges of coronavirus and climate change have brought the need for more sustainable travel into sharp focus. The travel industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and is now facing up to a world where consumers are looking to make smart choices about where they travel and how they can do so in a more sustainable way.

Climate change is beyond doubt the biggest crises humanity faces today. Which, in a middle of a pandemic is quite a daunting fact. The good news is that we are starting to understand the mechanics of it, and we know what we need to do to ensure temperature rise staying well below two degrees. 

Sustainable travel and ecotourism have grown quickly. Increasingly, travellers want to know about the impact that their trip is having on the planet, from their carbon emissions to whether responsible travel is at the heart of the companies they use to help book their trips.

We can change the world when there’s an urgent reason. Finnair’s Head of Sustainability Anne Larilahti reflects on what the pandemic teaches us about curbing climate change.