By IANS,
New Delhi : Nordic carrier Finnair’s passenger traffic grew by 2.5 percent in 2010 helped by a boost on its Asian routes, the airline said Sunday.
Traffic on the Asian route grew by 8 percent in 2010.
The airline carried a total of 6.2 million passengers in 2010, with over 1.2 million on its Asian routes, an official said.
“We have done well in achieving growth in Asian traffic in line with our strategy. The price level of tickets has also developed more favourably,” Finnair’s chief financial officer Erno Hilden said.
Due to a strong third quarter, revenues per passenger kilometre rose in the whole of last year by 9 percent.
The positive development of unit revenues is due mainly to an increase in business travel in traffic between Europe and Asia.
Finnair’s cargo traffic also grew by 38 percent in 2010, primarily due to a rise in demand from Asian countries.
“Finnair’s growth will come mainly from Europe-Asia traffic. We have studied our level of recognition in the Asian market. Success in this highly competitive market requires that we stand out positively both externally and in terms of service content,” said Finnair president and chief executive Mika Vehviläinen.
The airline is to revamp its entire visual and service identity in line with its Vision 2020 plan to become the top carrier in the Nordic countries, he said.
The visual reform covers the company logo, aircraft livery and cabin look as well as uniforms and service areas. The blue and white colour has been preserved, but the modern look is lighter than before, with white and silver complementing the distinguished dark blue of the logo.
The identity renewal will cost the airline approximately 10 million euros, according to the company statement.