Finncomm Airlines

Infobox_Airline
airline=Finncomm Airlines
logo=Finncomm Airlines logo.pnglogo_size=250
IATA=FC
ICAO=FCM
callsign=FINNCOMM
parent=
founded=1993
key_people=Juhani Pakari, CEO
headquarters=Seinäjoki, Finland
hubs=Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
fleet_size=11 (+3 orders)
destinations=17
website= http://www.finncomm.fi/

Finnish Commuter Airlines Oy, trading as Finncomm Airlines, is a regional airline based in Seinäjoki, Finland. The headquarters is located at Seinäjoki Airport but with a main base and hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.Flight International 3 April 2007] From Helsinki they fly to Estonia, Germany and 15 different destinations in Finland.

History

The airline started operations in 1993. Co-operation with Finnair began in 1998 when Finncomm started to provide Swedish airline Golden Air with staff, flight planning, operations control and marketing functions in Finland. It has over 200 employees (as of March 2007). The airline carried over 400,000 passengers in 2006 and expects to carry over 600,000 in 2007. In 2006 the airline had more than 80 daily departures from Helsinki-Vantaa airport making it the second largest airline operating from there in terms of daily departures after Finnair.

Finncomm is co-operating with Finnair providing feeder traffic for their route network. They also offer a good point-to-point network on domestic flights as they fly to 15 destinations in Finland. Finncomm has inaugurated so called low-cost concept which means very competitive ticket prices if compared for trains and buses or other airlines. Despite quite low ticket prices, the airline is still considered as a full service airline. Even on domestic flights soft drinks, chocolate and/or a sandwich is offered as a free of charge, depending a duration of the flight. On Stuttgart route a complimentary meal is served with drinks. Their fleet is rather young as brand new ATR's are introduced with 6 of those already operating and 6 more will be delivered. All Embraer-145s and ATRs have leather seats.

Finncomm is also a member airline of European Regions Airline Association. Finncomm Airlines has been profitable at every single year since it was established in 1993 which is quite an achievement if considering rather turbulent past years in aviation market. Today they have one of the best on-time records in Europe according to ERA statistics.

Due to a one incident in late 2006, the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority ordered some changes for the Finncomm's operating procedures and temporarily increased their weather minimums in ATR operations. The incident is under investigation and some re-training was ordered by Finnish Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to get pilots used for new operating procedures and temporarily slightly increased weather minimus in ATR operations until all ATR crews are trained. Nowadays those restrictions are lifted and operations are back to normal again. [cite web|Author = YLE Uutiset|publisher =Yleisradio Oy | title = Finncomm aloittanut lentäjiensä täydennyskoulutuksen (in Finnish) | date = 2007-02-18 | accessdate = 2007-06-11 | url = http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/haku.php?action=page&id=241670]

Destinations

Finncomm Airlines operates the following services (as of August 2007): [cite web|title = Finncomm Destinations|url=http://www.fc.fi/destinations/ | accessdate = 2007-08-25]

Domestic

*Enontekiö (Enontekiö Airport) (Seasonal)
*Helsinki (Helsinki-Vantaa Airport)
*Joensuu (Joensuu Airport)
*Jyväskylä (Jyväskylä Airport)
*Kemi/Tornio (Kemi-Tornio Airport)
*Kokkola/Jakobstad/Kronoby (Kronoby Airport)
*Kuopio (Kuopio Airport)
*Kuusamo (Kuusamo Airport) (Seasonal)
*Pori (Pori Airport)
*Savonlinna (Savonlinna Airport) (seasonal)
*Seinäjoki (Seinäjoki Airport)
*Tampere (Tampere-Pirkkala Airport)
*Turku (Turku Airport)
*Vaasa (Vaasa Airport)
*Varkaus (Varkaus Airport)

Germany

*Stuttgart (Stuttgart Airport)

Estonia

*Tallinn (Tallinn Airport)

Fleet

The Finncomm Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 10 July 2008) [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=FC&al_op=1] :

*4 ATR 42-500
*5 ATR 72-500
*2 Embraer ERJ 145LU

On order: 3 ATR 72-500 [Flight International, 3-9 October 2006]

On 13 June 2005 the airline placed a firm order for 8 ATR 42-500 aircraft (with a further 8 options). However, Finncomm only received 4 ATR42s which after the remaining order for another 4 aircraft were converted for bigger ATR72. Finncomm also agreed to buy another 3 ATR72s so the total number of ATR aircraft will be 11 by the end of 2009. The initial aircraft replaced the Golden Air current fleet of Saab 340 aircraft that were operated by Finncomm on Finnish routes, feeding Finnair's Helsinki hub and operating on Finncomm's regional routes. Finncomm also took over all routes which were operated by the Aero Airlines. Total contract value, including options, is around $250 million, with deliveries in the 2005 to 2009 time period. [Air International, July 2005]

External links

* [http://www.finncomm.com/ Finncomm Airlines official website]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=FC&al_op=1 Finncomm Airlines Fleet]
* [http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=14858&group=General Finnish aviation authority curbs Finncomm turboprop pilots' rights (2007)]

References