Finnair has earmarked the substantial capacity of its new Airbus A350 fleet for routes linking Europe and Asia.
The Helsinki-based carrier has firmed up the plan to use the world's latest wide-body jet on its long-haul flights to Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.
Those Asian cities represent the next batch of destinations for Finnair's A350s, which have already been serving Shanghai, Bangkok and Beijing.
Finnair recently turned its second daily flight from Helsinki to Bangkok into an A350 service, joining the first A350 daily flight that made its debut on Dec 20.
Jani Peuhkurinen, head of Finnair's sales for Asia-Pacific and East Europe, said greater use of A350s on routes between Europe and Asia reflected the airline's strategy to tap traffic demand between the continents.
"We focus on routes between Asia and Europe and using our Helisinki base for connecting to other European destinations. That will be the cornerstone of our operations," the executive told the Bangkok Post.
Within this year, the 92-year-old airline will have seven A350s flying, up from two at the end of last year.
Finnair has ordered 19 A350s from European aircraft maker Airbus.
These aircraft will be gradually introduced to Finnair's fleet over the next eight years as it replaces older long-haul aircraft models such as the A330 and A340.
The novelty of the A350 will appeal to flyers with its new experience and higher level of comfort while being more fuel-efficient for the airline, said Mr Peuhkurinen.
Finnair is scheduled to start A350 flights to Hong Kong on March 4 on a daily basis but will also use the older A330 model on the route.
A combination of A350 and A330 models will also be used on flights to Singapore starting on May 6.
A350 flights will be introduced on Finnair's Fukoka route three times a week in early May.
The airline will make Guangzhou its 15th destination in Asia in May with four flights a week using the A330.
Mr Peuhkurinen said Finnair was still working on the next destinations for its A350s.
Finnair has no plan to acquire A380 double-decker superjumbos for its fleet as it sees the A350 as a good fit for its strategy.
"We would rather improve frequencies than have this huge aircraft in our fleet," Mr Peuhkurinen said.
Finnair's A350 is configured with business and economy classes with 297 seats.
Meanwhile, Finnair will terminate its flights from Helsinki to Krabi and Phuket on March 30 and April 3, respectively, as planned.
It has been operating two flights a week to Krabi and three per week to Phuket only for the tourism high season. Its winter season programme ends around the end of March.