Finnair will start flying again from Heathrow and Manchester in July, gradually adding frequencies and routes back to its global network, as the Nordic airline returns to service. The Finnish flag-carrier will review its schedule on a monthly basis and update it as travel restrictions are eased and demand starts to recover.

From July, the airline will resume services with a double-daily service from Heathrow, rising up to three times a day in August and September then to four times a day in October. Meanwhile, services from Manchester will resume with four flights a week in July, ramping up to a daily service for customers to Helsinki in September.

Ole Orvér, Finnair’s chief commercial officer, said: “We expect aviation to recover gradually, starting in July. Our intention is to operate approximately 30% of our normal flights in July, and we will also start long-haul flights to our key Asian destinations. We will then add routes and frequencies month by month as demand recovers. Our recent customer survey shows that customers are already planning both business and leisure trips. We want to meet this demand with our network offering.”

The move will see the airline significantly ramping up its passenger operations, following a prolonged period of focusing on the demand for cargo flights, transporting critical supplies around the world as part of the Covid-19 relief effort.