This summer Finnair will open new routes to Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Kazan, three prominent and historic regional centres on the Volga River in the Russian Federation.

Services to Nizhny Novgorod International Airport begin on July 25th, while Samara’s Kurumoch International Airport will be served from August 7th and Kazan International Airport from August 18th.

Flights run three times per week.

“The Russian Federation is Finland’s largest trading partner outside the EU, and Finland is viewed by many in Russia as a favourable place to conduct business or take a holiday,” said Allister Paterson, Finnair chief commercial officer.

“Our new routes and frequencies will help meet demand for outbound Russian travel not only to Finland, but to other destinations throughout Finnair’s European network thanks to our compact and efficient hub in Helsinki.

“We also hope these new routes prompt Finns and other Europeans to discover three historic cities on the Volga, each growing in commercial importance.”

Nizhny Novgorod, with 1.2 million inhabitants, is a growing IT hub and the administrative centre of the Volga Federal District.

Kazan, population 1.1 million, is the multi-ethnic capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and the world’s centre of Tatar Muslim culture.

Samara, also with population of 1.1 million, is an industrial hub of southern Russia noted for its aerospace industries and Samara State Aerospace University.