Monday, August 14 2006 10:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Finnish carrier Finnair will launch a non-stop service between Helsinki and New Delhi from next month, complementing the rapidly expanding business ties between Finland and India.

The flight, billed as the shortest direct connection from Northern Europe to India, would take just six-and-a-half hours and the inaugural flight is scheduled for October 30, a statement from the airline said yesterday (Aug 13, 2006).

The airline hopes to cater to the business as well as leisure travellers in Europe and India, where Finnish companies including the likes of Nokia, Elcoteq and Kone are doing business.

Also, Indian firms like TCS, Wipro, Zenser and Tooltech have business interests in Finland.

"We at Finnair are convinced that these new flight connections give ample opportunities for both Finnish and Indian companies to deepen their co-operation, with both cultural and economical benefits to be shared by the two nations," the airline said.

The Helsinki-Delhi flights will be operated initially three times a week with Finnair's Boeing MD-11 fleet and eventually increase the frequency to daily.

Finnair, a member of the Oneworld Alliance, also offers excellent connections to all the popular centres of Europe, with its network of more than 30 destinations covering Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea area and Northern Europe in addition to busy capitals like London and Paris.