Finnair is supporting the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) in its work to improve the state of the Baltic Sea. The world’s most polluted sea needs immediate help.

“Through cooperation, the best possible resources will be harnessed to save the Baltic Sea. We are continually developing our own operations in order to load the environment less, but through cooperation projects we are also involved in improving the state of the environment elsewhere,” explains Finnair’s VP Sustainable Development Kati Ihamäki.

The main idea behind the BSAG is to obtain as high quality research data as possible to support practical measures to restore the Baltic Sea. In this way we can ensure that the right steps are taken for the good of the sea.

Finnair’s participation in the BSAG involves helping with travel arrangements, enhancing visibility and offering the possibility of donating Finnair Plus points. Soon, by donating 75,000 Finnair Plus points to BSAG, Finnair’s frequent flyers can donate around one metre of oil-spill containment boom to the rescue department. In the event of an accident, such booms provide invaluable protection against irreversible damage. The donation of points will be possible as of 1 March.

Taking the environment into account is an essential part of Finnair’s strategy. Direct routes and a modern fleet are the most significant steps that an airline can take to reduce its emissions. Finnair fleet modernisation is currently on the finishing straight. The most direct and shortest routes between Europe and Asia, moreover, run via Helsinki. In addition, Finnair purposefully reduces emissions through various operational means, such as Continuous Descent
Approach (CDA) landings.

Finnair has been engaged in environmental work for two decades. Finnair’s environmental organisation was set up in the early 1990s and the company published an environmental report for the first time in 1997. Last year Finnair became one of the first airlines to publish an social responsibility report according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, which deal with social responsibility as a whole. Finnair’s first Vice President Sustainable Development, Kati Ihamäki, was appointed to the post at the beginning of 2008.

Finnair Plc
Communications
10 February 2010

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