Sichuan Airlines inaugural direct flight from Chengdu to Helsinki

At 5:39 am local time on September 16, 2019, Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8271, carrying 278 passengers, landed smoothly at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, marking the success of the airline's maiden non-stop flight from Chengdu, China to Helsinki, Finland.

A ceremony for the maiden flight and a promotional event for the launch of the new service were then held by Sichuan Airlines in Helsinki, with representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Finland, the Finnish Directorate of Immigration, the Finnish Tourism Board, the municipal governments of Helsinki and Vantaa, Helsinki Business Hub, local travel agencies and Chinese-funded firms in attendance.

The new route was originally to fly directly to Copenhagen. However, the stop in Helsinki was added, transforming the airline's original Chengdu-Copenhagen service to the current Chengdu-Helsinki-Copenhagen service, becoming one that also connects two Nordic cities. The schedule is one flight every Monday and Friday. An Airbus A330 aircraft will service the route, with flight numbers and flight times as follows (all times are local times): 

- Westbound: 3U8271, departing from Chengdu at 2:00 am and arriving in Helsinki at 6:00 am, and then departing from Helsinki at 8:35 am and arriving in Copenhagen at 9:10 am; 

- Eastbound: 3U8272, departing from Copenhagen at 10:55 am and arriving in Helsinki at 1:35 pm, and then departing from Helsinki at 3:45 pm and arriving in Chengdu the next day at 5:00 am. 

Finland is renowned for its Aurora Borealis and winter resorts. It only takes nine hours for travelers to fly from Chengduto Finland, home of visual phenomena that can only be seen in regions bordering the Arctic Circle and a world of ice and snow.

Passengers of Sichuan Airlines who depart from mainland China/overseas (regional) airports and take connecting flights in Chengdu are entitled to a range of transit benefits, including free accommodation, coffee break service and meal, VIP lounge, rapid security check and visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Sichuan Airlines has launched international non-stop flights from Chengdu to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Helsinki, Istanbul, Rome and Yangon, among other international cities, since the beginning of this year. The airline has gradually expanded their "Panda Route" with international (regional) courses increasing to more than 50 by now.