Finnair To Furlough 36 Pilots Helping Qantas

Finnair has confirmed that it will make the difficult decision to furlough employees for a period lasting almost a year.

The Finland-based carrier confirms that 36 pilots who specialise in operating long-haul flights will be furloughed from September at the earliest until at least May 2026, with this window potentially widening.

Finnair states that industrial action is impacting its ability to operate its long-standing and highly valuable wet-lease operation for other airlines, which is necessary during specific seasons or periods.

The carrier is aware that the situation is unfortunate. Still, it recognises that, due to the unreliability of this type of operation, some pilots may need to be furloughed if changes in collaborative efforts occur.

Finnair focuses on operating two routes for a partner as a wet-lease operator, and the ongoing industrial action witnessed by the Finnair Pilot Union has impacted their ability to offer these flights.

But Who Does Finnair Help?

The furloughing of 36 pilots centres on its operations, as seen in Australia, where it has been helping the flag carrier and fellow oneworld partner, Qantas.

Two additional Airbus A330s were added to the Qantas operation as the carrier partnered with Finnair to meet the increased demand being witnessed.

For Qantas, however, it was a fascinating set of circumstances as they began sending away A330s for conversion into freighters, but then lacked the necessary passenger capacity, necessitating these wet-lease operations.

OH-LTS and OH-LTR were the two Finnair Airbus A330-300s stationed in Sydney, Australia, operating international services primarily to Asian markets in conjunction with Qantas.

Both of these aircraft were delivered within two months, ranging from December 2009 to February 2010, and are thus among the middle-aged A330s in the fleet. This is primarily due to the entire fleet type for this aircraft arriving between early 2009 and late 2010.