The Finnish national airport operator Finavia on Friday welcomed the resumption of the Helsinki service by Sichuan Airlines, a Chinese airline based in Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

"We are very happy that Sichuan Airlines is returning to Helsinki Airport. The reopening of the route is an important step towards the recovery of Chinese air travel from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Petri Vuori, Finavia's senior vice president.

Starting from Friday, Sichuan Airlines will fly once a week from Helsinki Airport to Chengdu. The route was originally launched in the summer of 2019, but has been on a hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Previously, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has only allowed services from and to Shanghai, the press release from Finavia noted.

The route is operated by Airbus A330 aircraft on Fridays. For the next three weeks, the arrival time at Helsinki Airport will be 4 a.m. local time, while the flight to Chengdu will leave at 6 a.m. After Aug. 19 2022, the flight will arrive at Helsinki Airport at 9:50 p.m. local time, and leave for Chengdu at 11:20 p.m.