Finnair carried 1.09 million passengers in May 2026, marking a 7.4% increase compared with the same month last year as demand across Asian and European markets continued to strengthen.
The Finnish flag carrier said passenger growth was particularly strong on Asian routes and clearly positive across its European network. Domestic traffic also recorded modest growth, while passenger numbers on North Atlantic routes declined slightly.
Flights to the Middle East remained suspended following the carrier’s decision to halt services on February 28 because of the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Capacity Remains Stable Despite Network Changes
Overall capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), remained broadly stable compared with May 2025, when industrial action had constrained operations.
Capacity expanded significantly across Europe, supported by the launch of new destinations, while Asian and domestic capacity saw smaller increases.
North Atlantic capacity declined due to fewer frequencies to Seattle and Dallas, while Middle East capacity fell to zero following the suspension of services.
Including wet-lease operations, overall capacity decreased by 4.6% after one wet-lease agreement transitioned into a dry-lease arrangement at the end of March.
Load Factors And Revenue Improve
Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), which measure actual passenger traffic, increased by 6.2% during the month.
Finnair said demand benefited from reduced market capacity linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Traffic grew on Asian and European routes but declined on North Atlantic and Middle Eastern services.
The airline’s passenger load factor improved by 5.1 percentage points to 77.6%, reflecting stronger demand and improved seat utilization.
Load factors increased across European, Asian and North Atlantic routes, although domestic services recorded a slight decline.
Revenue per available seat kilometre (RASK) rose by 17.7%, supported by higher passenger loads and improved ticket yields.
Cargo And Punctuality Also Improve
Finnair’s cargo business also recorded growth during May. Total cargo tonnes carried increased by 4.3%, driven primarily by strong demand on European and Asian routes.
Revenue cargo tonne kilometres rose by 4.8%, indicating continued resilience in the airline’s freight operations.
Operational performance improved as well, with 82.8% of all flights arriving on schedule, compared with 80.6% during the same period a year earlier.
Finnair is scheduled to release its June 2026 traffic statistics on July 7, providing further insight into demand trends during the peak summer travel season.
