Huge boost for Brits as five-months of airport strikes come to an end

After close to five months of disruption, the Finnish aviation strikeshave officially ended.

The breakthrough came on July 13, when the Finnish Aviation Union and Service Sector Employers Palta approved a new labour agreement, immediately cancelling all planned strikes for July 16, 18, 21, 23, and 25.

This is a big breakthrough and one that has a serious impact on UK passengers. In the past few months, these strikes have disrupted more than 1,200 flights, affecting more than 155,000 passengers, including thousands of Brits. The end to Finland’s disruptive industrial action marks one of the most significant developments for Europe’s summer travel season, offering huge relief to both holidaymakersand the travel industry.

"After prolonged negotiations, it's good that we were able to reach a mutually acceptable deal," said Palta's director of labour market affairs Minna Ääri. However, she expressed disappointment that the agreement didn't include broader development of working conditions alongside the wage settlement.

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In the past four months, no other country in Europe has had as many strikes as Finland: more than 15 (a record for any country), making this latest agreement a game changer for Europe and UK holidaymakers alike.

Negotiations had dragged on for over six months, during which Finnair cancelled more than 1,200 flights due to IAU strike action. Palta estimates the cancellations affected around 100,000 passengers.

Anton Radchenko, founder of AirAdvisor, said: “The end of Finland’s aviation strikes is not just a labour deal, but it’s a strategic reset for European summer travel. Over the past few months, passengers, especially from the UK, have dealt with a roulette of delays, rerouting, and increased costs just to reach or connect through Helsinki. Now, with restored schedules and reduced travel anxiety, people can plan with confidence again."

When the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) organised strikes on May 2, 5, 16, 19, 30, June 2, 4 and 11, it was predicted that they could result in the cancellation of more flights on 17 and 19 June across Finnish airports, potentially affecting as many as 64 UK flights and up to 11,520 passengers.

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Airlines such as KLM, easyJet, Lufthansa, and Air Baltic were impacted. Key routes that were hit included those from London, Manchester, and Edinburgh to Helsinki. Other routes with one or two stops swept up in the chaos include Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, Nottingham, Southampton, and Leeds to Helsinki via Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Latvia, will also be disrupted.

Each strike day cost Finnair and Finavia (the operator of Helsinki Airport) between €10 to €20 million (£8.5million to £17 million) in lost revenue, with wider economic impacts on tourism and hospitality. By the end of the summer, the sector was predicted to lose between €100-€150 million.

Booking trends analysis indicates a 7–12% drop in UK bookings to Finland for the summer season, with passengers opting for alternative destinations like Sweden, Norway, or Estonia.

Passenger rights company AirAdvisor has predicted a big positive uptick in sales following the end of the strikes.

The firm has said routes from London, Manchester, and Edinburgh to Helsinki benefit the most and will now see a 10-15% booking surge for Helsinki connections in July-August. Smaller UK airports such as Liverpool, Birmingham, and Bristol, which previously saw 15-20% fewer bookings due to strike-related delays, will see significant recovery.

With full schedules restored, British holidaymakers and business travellers no longer face rerouting, uncertainty, or last-minute cancellations during the busiest months of the year.

Ground handling, baggage, catering, maintenance, and customer service staff represented by the IAU downed tools in a row over pay with PALTA. The IAU released figures showing that while Finnair Group employees' average salaries rose by 6.4 percent from 2020 to 2023, during the same time frame, national averages saw a hike of 10.4 percent across all sectors.