Finnair to start new long-haul flights to Melbourne in October 2026

The flight, scheduled to depart from Helsinki, will be operated daily via Bangkok with an Airbus A350 aircraft. The first flight is expected to be on October 25, 2026, subject to government approval.  

Finnair has expanded its long-haul network and will be starting flights to Melbourne, Australia next autumn. The route will be operated daily via Bangkok with an Airbus A350 aircraft.  

“We are very excited to introduce service to a new continent. By connecting Helsinki and Melbourne, two cities on opposite sides of the world, we can offer a truly unique bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres,” said Christine Rovelli, Chief Revenue Officer at Finnair. “We expect that this new route will appeal to travellers from Europe heading to Australia, as well as Australians exploring northern Europe and beyond.” 

The flight is scheduled to depart from Helsinki shortly after midnight, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon, and continuing to Melbourne after a brief stop, reaching Melbourne the following morning. On the return, flights leave from Melbourne in the afternoon, with a stop in Bangkok in the evening, and land in Helsinki early the next day, aligning with Finnair’s first morning departures across Europe. Besides smooth connections for customers, this structure ensures high operational efficiency and good utilisation of Finnair’s A350 fleet. 

The Melbourne route marks a completely new destination for Finnair and connects Australia directly to Finnair’s extensive network via Finnair’s Helsinki hub. The Melbourne flights will be available for booking on Finnair.com as of December 18, and the first flight is expected to be on October 25, 2026, subject to government approval.  

Besides being a popular holiday destination, the Melbourne has a large European diaspora and a big community of foreign students and expatriates.  

In addition to Melbourne, Finnair’s network for 2026 comprises a total of 93 European destinations, 11 Asian destinations, seven North American destinations, including Toronto, which opens in summer 2026, and two destinations in the Middle East.