Finnair Airbus A321s Grounded

Finnair is currently dealing with aircraft groundings across its A321 fleet due to a safety concern.

The airline said it is replacing around 1,700 seat covers across eight A321 aircraft in its fleet, with the grounding lasting no longer than a week and all units back in service by the end of the month.

Finnair‘s temporary suspension of operations with these planes, however, arrived on Monday, 13 October, following which it was informed by those who produced the seat covers of a concern.

That safety concern followed the impact of washing on the fire protection of seat covers, which had not been verified in accordance with the required procedures, posing safety concerns for the airline.

The company that produces the seat covers has been a long-standing partner of Finnair. These covers are washed every two years, and it’s part of a standardised cleaning method that occurs across the airline’s fleet, including other seats.

We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption this has caused to our customers. The safe operation of our flights is the foundation of everything we do. Once we received information that the impact of washing on the fire protection of the seat covers had not been verified in the required manner, it was clear that the aircraft had to remain on the ground until the issue was resolved.

Pekka Korhonen, SVP Technical Operations at Finnair. 

Additionally, Finnair washes the seats in accordance with the information it receives directly from the manufacturer of the seat covers to ensure there are no discrepancies.

However, due to the ongoing situation, around 70 flights have been cancelled and counting since the problem arose, affecting around 11,000 customers. The figure is growing with each day as the company attempts to rectify the challenge.

Moving Forward At Finnair

On 22 October 2025, Finnair confirmed that new seat covers were being installed across the fleet, a move that would allow the aircraft to return to service slowly but surely.

The new covers are also not sourced from a single provider; instead, the airline confirms they are sourced from multiple suppliers.

To mitigate the impact of this and support customers who are still attempting to utilise the airline’s pre-planned network, the lease of two jets was actioned.

While Finnair says it has done everything possible to limit operational disruption, it has been aware that some flight cancellations will still occur because of the A321 fleet groundings.

Fleet data shows that Finnair has 15 A321-20s, with these aircraft averaging 11.2 years of age —among the youngest in the operation. The company has a fleet that is quite aging and in need of renewal.

Data shows that as of 24 October 2025, five of the A321s remain parked: OH-LZM, OH-LZN, OH-LZO, OH-LZT, and OH-LZU. These aircraft were all delivered between 2017 and 2018 and are among the youngest in the operation.