Finnair has gone under the radar on this route in recent times, quietly operating its A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) aircraft four times per week, but is only now promoting the service, along with the announcement that it will soon increase to five times per week.

The airline has been waiting to see how the schedules worked, and for more of its A350’s to be delivered, before going public.

The A350’s have been running on the popular route once per day in each direction, on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays. The fifth service will be offered on Wednesdays from 05 October.

With these new aircraft entering the service, Finnair will be replacing the current A320 on the almost three hour flight, an aircraft that is traditionally used for short-haul flights within the Continent.

Andrew Fish, Finnair Sales Director UK and Ireland and Benelux, said “Finnair is proud to currently be the only airline operating the ultra-modern Airbus A350XWB to London Heathrow. The change, from a smaller short haul configured Airbus A320 aircraft, allows the airline to meet the increased demand for capacity and cargo on this busy route. The A350XWB flight from London Heathrow is perfectly timed to offer a short connection via Helsinki Airport onto Finnair’s long haul A350XWB services to Asia offering customers a seamless product experience.”

As well as flying into Heathrow, the carrier operates the A350 on routes to Bangkok, Shanghai, Hong Kong (which connects nicely into Sydney), Beijing and Seoul, with plans to add Singapore to the roster from 01 October.

Finnair has more A350’s on order so all going well, we can expect to see them on more routes in the future. Wherever it is you’re travelling, our expert consultants can make sure you’re booked onto the correct flight numbers to experience the A350, and you can read our review of the aircraft here.