Finnair Announces New Australia Route, Expanding Oneworld Connectivity

Updated: December 18, 2025, 7:33am CST

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Finnair Expands to Australia
Final Thoughts

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Finnair is expanding service to Melbourne, Australia, and for points and miles fans, this is more than just a new route announcement.

Australia is a notoriously expensive award market, so new competition is good news for consumers. And since Finnair is a member of the Oneworld alliance, there is a great mix of possibilities when it comes to booking with partners.

Plus, this adds a fun new fifth freedom flight for travelers to take advantage of.

Let’s take a look at the details and when you can start booking.

Finnair Expands to Australia

Finnair has announced a brand new long-haul route with flights to Melbourne, Australia, starting October 25, 2026.

Finnair A350XWB plane with Oneworld livery — Image Credit: Ryan Smith

These flights will be operated daily with a refueling stop in Bangkok (BKK) before continuing on to Melbourne (MEL) on the airline’s Airbus A350 featuring the famous business class seats that don’t recline.

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. We expect that this new route will appeal to travellers from Europe heading to Australia, as well as Australians exploring northern Europe and beyond.
Christine Rovelli, chief revenue officer at Finnair

The flight schedules will be:

AY145 Helsinki (HEL) to Bangkok (BKK) departing at 12:10 a.m. and arriving at 4:30 p.m.
AY145 Bangkok (BKK) to Melbourne (MEL) departing at 6:15 p.m. and arriving at 7:15 a.m. the following day
AY146 Melbourne (MEL) to Bangkok (BKK) departing at 3:35 p.m. and arriving at 8:45 p.m.
AY146 Bangkok (BKK) to Helsinki (HEL) departing at 10:30 p.m. and arriving at 6:05 a.m. the following day

Finnair already flies from Helsinki to Bangkok, so this new route represents increased service while also adding a new fifth freedom flight between Thailand and Australia. These flights officially go on sale today, December 18, 2025.

What also makes these flights so interesting is the fact that they are bookable with points and miles. Finnair uses Avios, so there are many ways to boost your balance, either by transferring Avios from other airline programs or from your credit card.

Plus, since Finnair is part of the Oneworld alliance, you will soon be able to book with partner loyalty programs like Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards, American Airlines AAdvantage, and more.

Final Thoughts

Finnair is expanding down under.

Starting in October 2026, the official airline of Santa Claus will fly from Helsinki to Melbourne, including a quick stop in Bangkok. This represents a new destination for Finnair, a new fifth freedom flight, and an exciting route for points and miles fans.