Finnair has revealed plans for the continued expansion its Asian network, with the launch of a new non-stop connection to Nanjing, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu province.

Commencing on 13 May 2018, the new route will operate all-year-round direct to and from Helsinki. Finnair will serve the new route three times a week during the summer and twice a week in winter, with all flights using an Airbus A330 aircraft.

“We are very pleased to be expanding our growing network in China with the addition of Nanjing,” said Juha Järvinen, Finnair’s chief commercial officer. “Finnair is fast becoming one of the biggest and most preferred European carriers operating between Europe and China. Next year will also mark a very important milestone in our history as we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Finnair’s inaugural flight to Beijing and China.”

The opening of the Nanjing route will increase Finnair’s network in Greater China to seven destinations for the 2018 summer season. In total, Finland’s national carrier will operate 38 weekly flights to the country, flying daily to Beijing and Shanghai, four times a week to Chongqing and Guangzhou, and three times a week to Nanjing and Xi’an, plus 10 times a week to Hong Kong.

Finnair is aiming to position itself as the fastest option for travel between Asia and Europe, providing connections at its Helsinki hub to more than 100 destinations. The airline also offers Chinese meals and onboard purchases using Alipay, while Finland has launched a stopover campaign to encourage more Asian travellers to spend time in the country during their journey.

With an urban population of more than eight million people and an even larger catchment area, Nanjing presents a significant potential source of traffic for Finnair. At present, only Lufthansa offers direct scheduled flights between Nanjing and Europe, with its services to and from Frankfurt.