Finnar Cargo opens new Brussels base

Finnair Cargo has successfully used Route Exchange, the online platform for air service development, to open a new Brussels base.

Finnair Cargo has successfully used Route Exchange, the online platform for air service development, to open a new Brussels base. In March 2013 Finnair Cargo will initiate weekly flights via its new Brussels hub, connecting the Belgian capital with Finnair’s Helsinki hub as well as New York JFK and new destination Chicago O’Hare. The network expansion follows a partnership during the latter months of 2012 with Routesโ€™ Route Exchange business, part of Routesonline, where Finnair Cargo completed an extensive airport evaluation process to open the new Continental European base.

This partnership has led directly to the placing of the carrierโ€™s MD-11F aircraft at Brussels Airport and demonstrates that the Route Exchange process is both efficient and successful. All parties involved were fully committed to the process with Mr. Juha Jarvinen, Managing Director of Finnair Cargo, launching the Request for Proposals (RFP) during a briefing which he delivered in October of last year during World Routes in Abu Dhabi.

Finnair Cargo said it selected Brussels as its new European destination as it is one of Europe’s key gateways for cargo, offering great connections to numerous locations in Europe with fast road feeder services covering the European air cargo market within easy reach in less than eight hours from the city. Brussels Airport, it said, is also located in the center of the European pharmaceutical industry, which offers great expansion opportunities for the carrier.

โ€œFinnair Cargo’s target is to become one of the top five cargo carriers between Europe and Northeast Asia, and the opening of Brussels cargo hub to strengthen our cargo service via Helsinki is an important step in this vision,” said Mr. Juha Jarvinen, Managing Director of Finnair Cargo.

The successful completion of this new route evaluation process is a major endorsement for the dynamic Route Exchange online platform. “Brussels was chosen through an extensive airport evaluation process in cooperation with Route Exchange,โ€ commented Declan Maguire, Business Development Manager for the Route Exchange, adding: โ€œIt was a pleasure to work with Juha and his team to aid their assessment and evaluation of new markets and opportunities to base their aircraft through our online product, Route Exchange. We wish Finnair Cargo and Brussels Airport well with this new operation.โ€

Routes is a member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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