Finnair celebrates 100 years in business today, Wednesday, November 1, 2023. It joins the growing list of companies which have celebrated 100 years in business:
- Qantas Airways
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Hilton
- The Hertz Corporation
- The Boeing Company
- British Airways
- Commercial aviation itself
- Nathan’s Famous frankfurters
- Grand Central Terminal in New York
- The Canarsie Courier in Brooklyn
- The National Park Service of the United States…
…and even though it is not a company, let us not forget 100 years of the “Mile High Club”.
Finnair Celebrates 100 Years Today
Finnair was known as Aero when it was founded on Thursday, November 1, 1923. Its first aircraft was a Junkers F 13 seaplane that was manufactured in Germany; and it was received in 1924. As no commercial airfields existed on land in Finland at that time, the last flight via seaplane occurred in December of 1936, when all flights were operational from solid ground.
After the war in 1946, the Finnish State acquired a majority holding in Aero, which had previously been a private company. Aero started using the name Finnish Air Lines on its fleet livery in 1947. Aero already started using the name Finnair in its marketing in 1953 — even though the official name change did not happen until 1968, when the airline sported a new logo. Finnair carried one million passengers for the first time during that year.
In 1990, Finnair was the first airline to include the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 aircraft to its fleet.
The Finnair Plus membership program was introduced in 1992. Finnair joined the oneworld alliance in September of 1999.
Final Boarding Call
I have never flown as a passenger on an airplane that is operated by Finnair. I hope to do so one day even though I have already been to Finland.
What more can I say — other than happy 100 years in business, Finnair. May the next 100 years be even more successful.
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
