Finland’s national flag carrier, Finnair, has just announced an expansion to its long-haul network, starting flights to Melbourne, Australia from next autumn. The route will be operated daily via Bangkok with an Airbus A350 aircraft. 

The new route marks a completely new destination for Finnair, connecting Australia directly to Finnair’s extensive network via Finnair’s Helsinki hub. 

Anssi Partanen, Market Director Europe at Finnair says “Melbourne is an important destination for many people in the UK and Ireland travelling to visit friends and family across the globe, and we are thrilled to announce this unique bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres. We are also excited to be one of the only airlines offering services to the city from Europe!

With seamless connections via Helsinki from London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin, our customers will benefit from a smooth, comfortable journey to Australia, with the flexibility to travel to other destinations in Finnair’s network along the way.”

The flight is scheduled to depart from Helsinki shortly after midnight, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon, and continuing to Melbourne after a brief stop, reaching Melbourne the following morning. On the return, flights leave from Melbourne in the afternoon, with a stop in Bangkok in the evening, and land in Helsinki early the next day, aligning with Finnair’s first morning departures across Europe. Besides smooth connections for the customers, this structure ensures high operational efficiency and good utilisation of Finnair’s A350 fleet.

Finnair’s services to Asia have been specifically timed to allow for easy connections from Finnair’s UK destinations – including London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh, with smooth and easy transfers between flights from as little as 40 minutes, thanks to all flights operating from the same terminal.

Located on Australia’s southeastern coast, Melbourne is also known as the country’s cultural capital, famous for its food, culture and sports scene. Besides being a popular holiday destination, the city has a large European diaspora, and a big community of foreign students and expatriates.

The Melbourne flights will be available for booking on Finnair.com as of 18 December, and the first flight is expected to be on 25 October 2026, subject to government approval. 

In addition to Melbourne, Finnair’s network for 2026 comprises a total of 93 European destinations, 11 Asian destinations, seven North American destinations, including Toronto, which opens in summer 2026, and two destinations in the Middle East. 

Visit finnair.com for more information on Finnair’s routes and schedules.