The Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) has announced industrial actions affecting ground operations at Helsinki Airport on 11, 17 and 19 June 2025. The industrial actions will affect many functions that are essential for Finnair's flights during the day, such as customer service, aircraft maintenance, baggage handling, cargo, ground handling operations and catering services at Helsinki Airport. As a result, we unfortunately must cancel several flights, and flight delays are also possible. 

Current status

• 11 June: We have cancelled pre-selected flights scheduled for Wednesday, 11 June 2025 on Monday, 09 June 2025. The industrial action will not affect in-flight catering or sales on flights operated on 11 June 2025.

• 17 June: We will start cancelling selected flights scheduled for Tuesday, 17 June 2025 on Sunday, 15 June 2025. Unfortunately, the availability of alternative flights is limited, so rebooking may take longer than usual. Thank you for your patience. 

• 19 June: Unfortunately, the effects on this day will be significant. The cancellations will be confirmed and communicated directly to affected customers 2 days before the flight, on Tuesday 17 June 2025.

• If your flight is cancelled, we will contact you personally via SMS and/or email. 

We will update any new information on this page. We are very sorry for the uncertainty and harm this situation may cause you, and we will do our best to minimise the impact on your journey.

If you have a booking on our flights on 11, 17 or 19 June 2025

• Check in online in advance and allow extra time to arrive at the airport. 

• We recommend packing the most essentials, like medicines, in your carry-on baggage following the carry-on baggage allowance. 

• Please be prepared for possible congestion at our service points and delays in baggage delivery at Helsinki Airport. 

Would you like to travel on a different day, even if your flight is not cancelled?

• If you wish, you can change your travel date flexibly up to the day of departure by contacting our customer service.You can postpone your journey to start no later than 31 August 2025 at no extra cost. 

• If your ticket type allows, you may also postpone your journey according to your ticket rules through the Manage booking. Please note that you can postpone your journey to start no later than 31 August 2025 at no extra cost. When making changes via Manage booking all applicable ticket change fees and fare differences must be covered upfront. You can submit a claim for the costs afterward. Currently our claim service is experiencing delays due to high demand, which may result in longer processing times than usual. 

• For tickets purchased through other service providers than Finnair, such as a travel agency, please contact the ticket issuer directly. 

How do I know if my flight is disrupted?

If there are changes to your journey, we will contact you personally via SMS and/or email. Please go to Manage booking and check that we have your current contact information. You can find your flight details in Manage booking and Finnair app.  

If you miss a connecting flight on the same ticket, we will book you a new flight to your destination and send you a message as soon as your travel plan is completed. If you have a connecting flight onwards from Helsinki, you can see the real time status of your connecting flight onboard in Nordic Sky portal in our narrow-body Airbus aircraft and via Inflight Entertainment system in our wide-body aircraft. 

Your options if your flight is cancelled

If you have received a message of a flight cancellation, these are your options: 

• Choose our rebooking: As soon as the flight has been cancelled, we start working on your new travel plan, and you’ll receive a separate SMS and/or email when we have booked you the best possible alternative flight(s). The SMS includes your new flight details, while the email provides more detailed instructions. You can see your new travel plan also in Manage booking. 

• Change your journey: You can change your travel date by contacting our customer service. You can postpone your journey to start no later than 31 August 2025 at no extra cost. For tickets purchased through other service providers than Finnair, such as a travel agency, please contact the ticket issuer directly. 

• Cancel your journey: If you wish to cancel your entire journey or all flights in your booking have been cancelled, you can apply for a refund in Manage booking. To keep some flights and refund only part of your booking, please contact our customer service or the ticket issuer. 

• Travel extras: Due to the flight change, we unfortunately might not be able to confirm some of the pre-ordered travel extras, such as meals or pet transportation, to your new flights. You can check your confirmed services in Manage booking and rebooking email. If you do not receive travel extras purchased from Finnair, you can apply for a refund.

Accommodation

If you need hotel accommodation due to our rebooking and have already started your journey, we will offer you hotel accommodation. You can book hotel accommodation at Helsinki Airport and many other destinations using our online tool. If you are eligible for hotel accommodation due to a rebooked flight, you will receive a personal booking link via SMS or email, no later than your new departure date. Thank you for your patience. Use the link in the message to select a hotel and you will get more information about meals as well. If you don’t receive SMS or email, please contact our ground crew at the airport. 

If we couldn’t arrange accommodation for you, you need accommodation for more than one night, or you are not at the airport, you can book the accommodation yourself and apply for compensation of reasonable hotel and ground transportation costs afterwards from us. Please keep the receipts for the claim and contact us via Contact and request forms. 

If your baggage didn't arrive on the same flight with you

If your baggage didn’t arrive on the same flight with you, we automatically create a delayed baggage report for you at the latest when your baggage is located and rerouted. Please contact the staff at your final destination if your baggage didn't arrive and you haven't received a notification about a report from us via SMS or email. You can manage and follow your delayed baggage report here. Please check from the existing report that we have your correct contact details, delivery address and baggage information. We will also keep you informed with updates on your baggage arrival via SMS and/or email if we have your contact details in the report. 

We will deliver your baggage to you as soon as possible and will contact you to organise the delivery once the baggage has arrived at your destination. You can find the local handler's contact information and opening hours in your delayed baggage report. Read more information about delayed baggage here. 

Contacting our customer service

If you booked your ticket through Finnair, our customer service is working hard to assist you during this exceptional situation. You can also contact us via chat on our website or in Finnair app. For tickets purchased via other service providers, such as travel agencies, please contact the ticket issuer directly for changes or cancellations. 

Please note that our customer service is congested at the moment. Thank you for your patience. You can see your passenger rights here. 

Frequently asked questions 

Q: What are the effects of the industrial action?   

A: The IAU trade union has announced work stoppages at Helsinki Airport on 11 June, 17 June and 19 June 2025. The industrial action will affect customer service, aircraft maintenance, baggage handling, cargo, ground handling operations and catering services at Helsinki Airport. There will be no effect on the services or opening hours of Finnair Lounges at Helsinki Airport.   

Q: Is Finnair staff part of the industrial action?   

A: Yes, the majority of Finnair’s ground staff, as well as outsourced ground handling providers, are members of the IAU trade union and are therefore participating in the work stoppage as well.   

Q: Why is Finnair not publishing the cancelled flights earlier?   

A: Cancelling flights before industrial action is confirmed would not benefit our customers. The parties are continuously seeking mutual agreement.   

Q: If the industrial action is confirmed and Finnair is forced to cancel multiple flights, why isn’t a complete list of all cancelled flights published online?   

A: As the situation may change during the cancellation process, it's challenging to keep the list fully accurate. Some flights during the days of the industrial actions may also be cancelled for other reasons, such as weather or technical issues, which may not appear on the list. This can make it difficult for customers to interpret.   

Q: How do I know if my flight is cancelled?   

A: We will contact you personally via SMS and/or email if your flight is cancelled. Please check from Manage booking that we have your current contact information. You can find your flights’ up-to-date details in Manage booking and Finnair app.   

Q: Can I make changes at Manage booking?   

A: Yes, if your ticket type allows changes. However, there are a few important things to note when using the Manage booking system:   

You may postpone your journey according to your ticket rules. To be eligible for a change at no extra cost, your new travel date must start no later than 31 August 2025. Changes to dates beyond this will be at your own expense. When making changes via Manage booking, all applicable ticket change fees and fare differences must be paid upfront. You can then submit a claim for a possible refund afterward. 

Currently our claim service is experiencing delays due to high demand, which may result in longer processing times than usual. 

Q: Why do I need to pay first for the changes in Manage booking? 

A: Unfortunately, the Manage booking system is not currently designed to handle this kind of exceptional situation, where a large number of customers are allowed to change their travel dates without extra cost. We are continuously developing the system, and we hope it will offer more flexible options for our customers in the future.