Finnair and Qantas have reached a wet lease agreement where Finnair will operate select Singapore – Sydney flights from late October 2023 and all Bangkok – Sydney flights from late March 2024 on behalf of the Australian carrier.
These Airbus A330 flights are operated by Finnair cockpit crew, but the cabin crew is outsourced from local partners in Bangkok and Singapore. Qantas will dry lease these two aircraft for two and a half years from 2025, which will see them operated by Qantas crew.
Finnair has and is currently operating flights on behalf of British Airways, Lufthansa/Eurowings, and Qatar Airways.
The airline’s long-haul strategy of connecting Asia with Europe through connections in Helsinki collapsed due to Russia’s war against Ukraine which has prevented Finnair from flying over Russia.
This has resulted in significantly longer flight times that don’t allow Finnair to use its aircraft efficiently (it previously preferred long-haul routes that allowed rotation within 24 hours), making these destinations less profitable.
Finnair’s Press Release:
Finnair to lease two A330 aircraft to oneworld partner Qantas
Finnair and Qantas have entered into a long-term agreement, in which Finnair first leases two A330 aircraft with crew (wet lease) to Qantas for a period of two years, and after the wet lease period, dry leases (aircraft lease with no crew) two of its A330s to Qantas for a period of 2.5 years, starting in 2025. The wet lease of the first aircraft will start in October 2023, and the wet lease of the second aircraft will start in early 2024.
The agreement with Qantas is a part of Finnair’s determined efforts to ensure the optimal use of its A330 fleet, which is range-limited in its deployment in Finnair’s own long-haul operations due to the closure of Russian airspace. The agreement with Qantas concludes the optimisation of Finnair’s fleet following the Russian airspace closure.
During the wet lease period, the aircraft will be deployed in Qantas’ network on routes from Sydney and Singapore as well as Sydney and Bangkok. Finnair pilots will fly scheduled Finnair flights from Helsinki to Singapore and from Helsinki to Bangkok; then, they will continue flying scheduled Qantas flights between Singapore, Bangkok and Sydney before returning to their home base in Helsinki. The cabin crew are provided by Finnair partners based in Singapore and Bangkok, and the aircraft maintenance is performed by Finnair partners at the Qantas destinations. Finnair has secured sufficient pilot resources to match its fleet size, including the aircraft leased to Qantas. The Qantas agreement does not impact the number of cabin crew at Finnair, as they are fully deployed in other operations.
The collaboration supports the efficient and profitable deployment of Finnair’s A330 fleet. Since the closure of the Russian airspace, Finnair has built a geographically more balanced network, as avoiding the Russian airspace lengthened the flight times between Finnair’s Helsinki hub and its Asian destinations. The Qantas agreement is yet another example of Finnair strengthening ties with its oneworld partners as a part of its new strategy.
“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with our oneworld partner Qantas. This agreement enables us to fully deploy our A330 fleet in profitable operations”, says Antti Tolvanen, Senior Vice President, Network and revenue management at Finnair.
A wet lease is a leasing arrangement between two airlines, where one airline provides the other an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. In a dry lease arrangement, only the aircraft is provided.
Relevant Part Of Qantas Update:
The additional capacity will be made possible through a combination of more Qantas aircraft returning to service, new aircraft joining the fleet and an arrangement with oneworld partner Finnair to operate two Airbus A330 aircraft on two Qantas routes.
“While airlines globally are working to restore capacity to meet demand, there is still a mismatch between supply and demand for international flying. But with more of our aircraft back in the air, new 787s joining our fleet and our contract with Finnair, we’ve got more seats for our customers and more opportunity for Qantas crew as we increase our own flying.
“While airlines globally are working to restore capacity to meet demand, there is still a mismatch between supply and demand for international flying. But with more of our aircraft back in the air, new 787s joining our fleet and our contract with Finnair, we’ve got more seats for our customers and more opportunity for Qantas crew as we increase our own flying.
The Finnair A330 aircraft will operate selected Qantas flights between Sydney and Singapore from late October and all flights between Sydney and Bangkok from late March 2024, freeing up Qantas aircraft and crew to boost flying elsewhere. For the first two-and-a-half years of this agreement, flights will be operated by Finnair pilots and cabin crew, with customers continuing to receive Qantas’ inflight food and beverage service, amenities, inflight entertainment and baggage allowance. From late 2025, two Finnair A330s will be dry leased, operating for up to three years with Qantas pilots and cabin crew, creating new jobs and further promotional opportunities within Qantas.
Conclusion
Finnair has had trouble with its Airbus A330 fleet, which cannot operate many long-haul routes due to longer flight times, as flying over Russia is not currently an option.
This wet lease/dry lease deal allows the airline to find a new home for two of its older Airbus long-haul planes for four/five years.
These Sydney flights from Singapore and Bangkok will be staffed by Thai and Singaporean cabin crew. There are quite a few long-haul Finnair flights with no Finnish or Swedish (two official languages of Finland) speaking cabin crew members.