Beijing Daxing Airport has finally welcomed its first exclusive nonstop route to Europe.
China Southern Airlines officially announced the launch of a Beijing Daxing–Helsinki service, filling the long-standing gap of direct flights between Daxing Airport and Northern Europe.
Behind this new route lies not only a decisive move by a Chinese carrier, but also the reluctant pullback of Finnair—once dubbed the “king of Asia–Europe transfers”—from the China–Europe market.
In March 2020, Finnair temporarily suspended all routes to mainland China. Although some services were later restored, its market share has been steadily eroded.
In mainland China, Finnair now runs only two weekly winter flights, both to Shanghai. The days of operating up to ten weekly nonstop flights to Beijing are now firmly in the past.
Finnair’s withdrawal has created a timely opening for China Southern.
As the anchor carrier at Beijing Daxing Airport, China Southern’s new nonstop service to Helsinki is now the airport’s only route to Northern Europe, allowing it to lock in a scarce and strategically important link.
For travelers, this means greater convenience: no more detours via other cities. From Daxing Airport, passengers can now fly directly to Helsinki—whether to chase the Northern Lights, visit Santa Claus Village, or connect onward to other European destinations via this key hub.
