Aero Oy, which was later rebranded as Finnair, is one of the oldest
surviving airlines in the world. The airline was established in 1923 and
started up domestic flights alongside routes to the Nordic and Baltic
regions. In the beginning, Aero Oy used German Junkers F 13 aircraft, as
Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG was a shareholder of the airline. The airline
continued to use Junkers aircraft, such as the G 24 and Ju 52, even
after Finnish shareholders had bought back Junkers' shares. During World
War Two, Finland was occupied by Russian troops, followed by the Germans
and then the Allies. Still, Aero Oy managed to continue its operations.
After the war, thanks to its geographic location, Finnair was able to
start up several routes to the Soviet Union. Later on, the airline was
the first carrier in the world to connect Europe with Asia via a polar
route, which is considerably shorter than the conventional routes via
Russia or the Persian Gulf. Both passenger and cargo flights to Asia
became Finnair's main source of income at a time when China was opening
up the 'new Silk Road'. Of course, Finnair was hit by the COVID-19
pandemic like most other airlines around the world. While this is an
ongoing problem, Finnair is taking steps to guarantee the further growth
of the airline once the pandemic is over. With over 140 images, this
book charts Finnair's history from the very beginning and shows how it
has survived through the years.
