Finnair to stop flights to Mumbai for summer

HELSINKI: Finnish airline Finnair said on Monday it would temporarily suspend its flights to the Indian city of Mumbai between May and mid-October due to unfavourable economic conditions.

It also cited overcapacity on Mumbai-Europe routes. "The overcapacity has driven airfare levels radically down and cost level has not declined respectively. Market conditions for the entire summer period look bleak," Petteri Kostermaa, Finnair's vice president of route strategy and traffic planning, said in a statement.

Like many other airlines, Finnair has faced weaker profitability amid the financial crisis as the number of passengers has declined alongside tickets prices.

The carrier has started to cut costs, jobs and routes to boost profitability. Finnair currently flies to Mumbai from Helsinki four times a week.

The company said its flights to New Delhi would continue as normal during the summer period.