EU Boeing aircraft ban affects Norwegian Airlines flights in Helsinki
Norwegian Airlines has announced the cancellation of four flights from Helsinki to Stockholm and one flight to Helsinki to Oulu on Wednesday, following a decision by EU air safety officials to ban the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
A late night flight from Gran Canaria to Helsinki was also cancelled, but Norwegian said that the change was not due to the kind of aircraft involved. Planes used to service other routes will be replaced by different models.
The EU joined a number of countries such as Australia, the UK, China, Germany and Ireland, among others, which have issued similar aviation bans on the 737 Max craft.
The development follows the case of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing plan that crashed last weekend, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board.
It was the second time in less than six months that the 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff. The previous incident involved a Lion Air flight that took off from Indonesia but crashed just minutes into the air, killing all 189 people on board.
The incidents have raised questions and concerns about the safety of the Boeing model, promoting civil aviation authorities in various jurisdictions to ground the craft until more information is available about the cause of the latest crash.
In Finland, the EU’s decision to ground the Boeing aircraft was expected to affect just five Norwegian flights on Wednesday.
On Tuesday there was still speculation that the Boeing flight ban would affect a total of 13 flights at Finland’s main airport in Helsinki.
Passengers are being advised to get up to date information about the status of their flights from the website of airports operator Finavia.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Competition Bureau says Arctic airline merger could cause higher prices, fewer flights, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Turkish Airlines to carry tourists to Finnish Lapland through new Istanbul hub, The Independent Barents Observer
Norway: Longer runway for bigger planes in Kirkenes, northern Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russian regional airline cancels only direct Murmansk-Oslo link, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Swedish regional airline Nextjet files for bankruptcy, cancels all flights, Radio Sweden
United States: Alaska Airlines adds restrictions on emotional support animals, Alaska Public Media
