Blue 1, the Finnish member airline of the SAS Group, celebrated with passengers last night as its inaugural flight from London Stansted to Helsinki took to the skies, marking the beginning of the airline’s twice-daily service.Passengers and invited guests including Lars Ove-Filipson, SAS General Manager UK & Ireland; Mark Pendlington, Director of Communications BAA Stansted and Anne Lind, Director UK and Ireland, Finnish Tourist Board, enjoyed a champagne reception for incoming and outgoing passengers at Stansted Airport.

The inaugural flight is the latest addition to the SAS network. Blue 1 is the fastest growing airline in Finland, and offers a two class service on this new route, with Business and Economy tickets available for purchase. Passengers can enjoy flexible one-way tickets which are combinable[1] across the two classes, allowing them to tailor their travel to suit their individual needs; be that Economy on the outbound leg and Business Class on the return.
 
Lars Ove-Filipson said: “Scandinavian Airlines is very proud to be part of these inaugural celebrations.  Blue 1 is a highly respected Finnish airline, with a loyal customer base in Finland and around Europe, and SAS is excited to represent the Finnish airline in the UK market.”
 
Finland has a growing business market and at the same time offers a very attractive destination for UK holidaymakers for both summer and winter.
 
Mark Pendlington, Director of Communications BAA Stansted who said: “We are delighted that Blue 1 chose Stansted as key to the development of its already extensive network and we wish them every success with the launch which will no doubt prove to be extremely popular.
 
“Blue 1’s arrival is not only great news for our leisure passengers but also for business travellers by providing further support for the growth ambitions of the East of England.”
 
Lead-in one-way fares start from £72 including taxes.
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