Ahead of Finnair’s long-awaited return to Canada, TravelPulse Canada sat down with the airline’s General Manager for North America, Javier Roig Sanchez.
Visibly excited about what’s ahead, the Barcelona-born exec doesn’t just share routes; he talks about connection, identity and why, after more than a decade away, coming back to Toronto feels like unfinished business.
from left to right: Katja Podduikin-Miettinen, Chief Purser, Finnair Hanna_Leena Korteniemi, Ambassador of Finland Javier Roig-Sanchez, General Manager, North America, Finnair Mia Eloranta, Communications Manager, Finnair Carl Jones, Head of Aviation Development at GTAA Konsta Kovanen, Senior Cabin Crew, Finniar (Photo Credit: Finnair)
Finn-ally!
On May 4, Finnair officially relaunched nonstop service between Toronto and Helsinki (HEL). It's the first Canadian route in 11 years marked by a ribbon-cutting at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
“We’re extremely excited to be returning to Canada with the first and only direct, transatlantic flight between Canada and Finland,” Roig Sanchez said.
Javier Roig, GM North America, Finnair (Photo Credit: Finnair)
The route will operate three times weekly through the summer aboard an Airbus A330, offering business, premium economy and economy cabins.
“It’s not the first time we are flying into Toronto,” he tells TravelPulse Canada. “We had been flying there up to 11 years ago… but we are coming back, and we are super happy.”
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Navigating uncertainty
Like every airline right now, Finnair is navigating a complex operating environment, from fuel volatility to economic pressures.
But Roig Sanchez is measured, not alarmist.
“We are not expecting to cancel anything,” he said, pointing to the airline’s forward fuel hedging strategy as a stabilizer.
Unlike some carriers now scrambling to adjust, Finnair locked in a significant portion of its fuel costs well in advance, insulating the airline from the sharp spikes currently impacting the industry.
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“We were lucky,” he added candidly, noting that much of the airline’s fuel had already been hedged before the latest crisis escalated.
That stability matters. It signals fewer last-minute schedule changes, more reliable operations and a level of predictability that’s increasingly hard to come by.
Selling “happy”
If operational certainty is one part of the pitch, emotion is the other.
Finland’s reputation as the happiest country in the world, a title it has held for nearly a decade, is something Roig Sanchez connects directly to the travel experience.
From vast forests covering roughly 70% of the country to the easy, nature-forward lifestyle and long, light-filled summer days, Finland offers something that feels both familiar and refreshingly different for Canadians.
“I think for Canadians… it’s a northern European lifestyle,” he said. “More relaxed, cleaner… very high in sustainability.”
And in a travel landscape increasingly defined by crowds and complexity, that sense of calm may be one of the country’s most compelling selling points.
North of the Arctic Circle, Bodo is easily accessible through Helsinki on Finnair. (Photo Credit: Finnair)
Why Toronto — and why now
Toronto was deliberately chosen. Its eastern location allows the airline to operate efficiently with a single Airbus A330, keeping the aircraft and crew outside Helsinki for less than 24 hours.
But logistics aside, Roig Sanchez points to diaspora and demand.
“There is a Finnish diaspora… and also the Indian diaspora in the area,” he shared, adding that the route is timed to connect into Finnair’s growing long-haul network, including daily service to Delhi.
From diaspora communities to growing Canadian interest in Nordic travel, the route is designed to do more than connect two cities.
“We are reconnecting the Toronto area with Finland… and beyond,” he says.
Because Helsinki isn’t the final stop; it’s the gateway into Europe, the Baltics, the Nordics and South Asia.
The real Santa Claus?
If there’s one takeaway from the conversation, it’s this: Finnair isn’t just selling Helsinki. It’s selling access.
“We are seeing a lot of demand to Norway… we are offering up to almost 90 flights per week,” he says.
And for Canadian travellers?
From Helsinki, travellers can connect to nearly 20 domestic destinations across Finland, including Lapland, which he confirms is the “home of Santa Claus, the real one.”
Less overtourism. More space. A different pace...and Santa.
The Differentiator
Asked what sets Finnair apart, Roig Sanchez doesn’t default to buzzwords.
He starts with the experience.
From a fully refreshed long-haul cabin to the airline’s distinctive “AirLounge” business class seat, a non-reclining, cocoon-like design that converts into a flat bed, the focus is on consistency.
“Passengers are going to find the same experience across the fleet.”
Finnair A350 Business Class (Photo Credit: Finnair)
But the real differentiator?
“Helsinki Airport,” he says, without hesitation.
“It’s only one terminal… everything under one roof. The maximum distance you are going to walk is 400 metres.”
For advisors and their clients, that translates into something increasingly rare in long-haul travel: Ease.
Winning over Canadian advisors
Finnair knows it’s not the default choice for Canadian travellers…at least not yet.
“Finnair… is maybe not so well known,” Roig Sanchez admits candidly. “We depend a lot on indirect sales,” Roig Sanchez says, leaning heavily on the trade.
Through its Oneworld partnerships, including American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus, as well as a domestic partnership with WestJet, the carrier is already integrated into existing agency frameworks.
“It doesn’t start or end only in Toronto,” he says. “We try to connect the rest of Canada.” WestJet helps funnel travellers from Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa into Toronto.
A measured approach to growth
For now, the Toronto route is a summer operation, but the ambition goes further.
“My intention would be to leave it also there during winter,” Roig Sanchez says.
The plan mirrors Finnair’s broader North American strategy: Start small, build demand, then grow.
It’s exactly what the airline did in Chicago, building from a few weekly flights to daily service.
Toronto, he suggests, could follow the same path.
Shiny, happy people
Roig Sanchez has spent more than three decades with Finnair, working across markets in Europe and North America.
And while he’s had opportunities to leave, he never has.
“The Nordic way of companies… equality, fairness… focusing on wellbeing,” he says. “We are not only a number.”
It’s a philosophy that mirrors the experience he’s describing; thoughtful and quietly confident.
Finnair’s return to Canada isn’t about competing head-on with the biggest transatlantic players.
It’s about offering something different.
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