South Korea’s second biggest city, Busan, will become Finnair’s 20th destination in Asia when flights commence in 2020.

From next year the Nordic carrier will be the first airline to operate direct flights between Europe and bustling Busan when the new three-times a week service starts.

The new gateway to southern South Korea will offer super smooth connections to Finnair’s 100 destinations across Europe, via its Helsinki hub.

On March 30th, Busan’s Gimhae International Airport will, for the first time, welcome Finnair customers travelling on the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350 aircraft.

Ole Orvér, Finnair chief commercial officer, said: “We are excited to be the first European airline operating to Busan, which is a wonderful addition to our Asian network.

“Korea is one of our top markets globally, and we have been operating to Seoul for 11 years.

“We are delighted to be able to offer a new destination to our customers in Korea and to continue growing sustainably in Asia.”

The launch of Finnair’s 20th Asian destination in 2020 is the result of the airline’s ambitious expansion programme to grow traffic between Europe and the Far East and Asia.

Located on the south-eastern tip of the Korean peninsula, Busan is known for its scenic combination of mountains, rivers and rugged coastline.

The city and its surroundings offer excellent beaches and great hiking trails for visitors.

Busan will be the Finnish carrier’s second destination in South Korea, following the popular Helsinki to Seoul route which launched 11 years ago.