Turkka Kuusisto is Finnair’s first CEO taking office during the new normal for the Nordic airline. Since Russian airspace became off limits for Western carriers almost three years ago when Russia attacked Ukraine, Finnair’s entire and formerly lucrative business model fell apart. Helsinki is no longer the shortest connection hub between Europa and East Asia, rather the opposite, the necessary detours are even longer than from most other hubs now. Despite this unfortunate development also threatening Finnair’s well-being, the Finnish airline has been able to make an impressive recovery by shifting and adapting its strategy swiftly. Turkka Kuusisto took over the CEO post in April 2024 and only now starts to talk to international media about his take on the top job. The 45-year-old son of a former Finnair pilot had been previously heading Posti Group, the Finnish postal service and largest logistics company around the Baltic Sea region. He sees many similarities between the two, as both are service companies moving goods and people. And both are extremely meaningful companies for the wider society, he says. “Both Finnair and the logistics companies keep the wheel spinning.” 

In an exclusive interview for AeroTime, aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth talks to Turkka Kuusisto about his efforts to redefine Finnair’s course in a much-changed environment. 

Andreas Spaeth: One of your first big tasks here as Finnair’s new CEO is to update the company’s strategy. Can you share any insights into how that might look like? 

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