Finnair carried 916 thousand passengers during March – a 2.3% decrease compared to the same month of the year prior. The airline said this decrease was mainly due to industrial action that took place in March and Easter taking place during April this year.
Finnair was forced to cancel approximately 70 flights in March, disrupting travel for around 6,500 passengers, due to industrial action. The walkout, led by the Finnish Aviation Union IAU's three trade unions and the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union, caused disruption at Helsinki Airport.
This action caused disruption to baggage handling and other ground services, impacting Finnair's flight operations.
Traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) was down by 2% overall during March, with RPKs up on North Atlantic routes, steady in Asia and Europe, and down in Middle East and domestic markets.
The airline said that North Atlantic capacity grew “significantly” during the month, helped by added flights to Dallas. However, capacity to the Middle East dropped after Finnair ended its partnership with Qatar Airways on flights between Stockholm/ Copenhagen and Doha in January.
Average passenger load factor for March saw a decrease of 2.1% points, down to 72.8%, when compared to the same period of 2024.