Cargo news

7 lokakuuta 2026

The new Melbourne route opens up a whole new market for Finnair

Finnair Cargo will operate a daily wide-body connection to Melbourne via Bangkok from the end of October 2026.

The route timetable is well suited to cargo operations. The Helsinki–Bangkok flight departs at midnight, allowing cargo arriving on European and North American flights throughout the day to connect to Bangkok that same night. The return flight arrives in Helsinki at 6 a.m., giving cargo ample time to connect to onward flights and trucks departing Helsinki later that day.

Tiina Saari, Finnair Cargo Sales Director for North America, ANZ & Global Product Management, says the new connection is strategically significant for Finnair.

“It is a significant strategic opening for us, a whole new connection and new capacity to a new continent and a new market. Not only is it a fast connection between Europe, Australia and even North America, it significantly expands our entire global reach.”

For customers, the route creates a fast and reliable new option for moving cargo between the continents.

“We have already noticed that the connection is sparking interest among customers whose cargo requires reliability, high-quality handling of special cargo and short transit times.”

The route options are countless

For many existing global clients, the new route provides a missing piece, bringing connectivity to a whole new part of the globe. What has surprised Saari is the level of interest from North America.

“It might not seem intuitive but considering that the distances will always be long between North America and Australia, many clients choose us for our reliability and expertise.”

Saari also points out that Finnair can offer a wide range of onward connections beyond Melbourne with trucking connections available to/from Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.

Helsinki Hub, a major advantage

The new connection strengthens Helsinki’s position as a global cargo hub, and for many clients, Helsinki is a preferred transit point. Flight connections are efficient, and transit times are shorter than in many of Europe’s busiest hubs.

Helsinki is also known for its expertise in handling special cargo and for its COOL terminal, which ensures the appropriate handling of temperature-sensitive goods.

“What is also interesting about Finnair is that even our narrow-body aircraft have decent cargo capacity, as they are containerised. This means that our cargo connections go beyond the routes operated with wide-body aircraft.”

Interest in perishables and pharma

Interest in the new route is particularly strong in high-tech products and time-critical cargo as well as pharmaceuticals and other temperature-controlled.

“Higher-value products are well represented. But we are also opening just in time for the Australian high season for fresh produce, so cargo leaving Australia will include products such as cherries.”

As the flight has a two-hour layover in Bangkok, Finnair is introducing a one-month trial period to validate how temperature control is maintained during the stopover.

“We are known for our temperature-controlled flights, so we want to monitor the temperatures during the layover to make sure we can deliver on our service promise,” Saari says.

Finnair has been pleased to see strong interest in the new capacity. “We are not starting from scratch: many of our existing global customers already have transportation needs to and from Australia, providing a strong foundation for growth. In addition, we have selected a local GSSA partner (ACP) with well-established customer relationships and strong market knowledge in Australia.”