Sanctions on Russia prompt Finnair to add weight to Asia-bound jets

Flag carrier Finnair has modified ten aircraft to carry more customers and cargo on Asia-bound routes due to it having to skirt Russia’s vast airspace en route to Seoul and Tokyo. The carrier said it “has worked with Airbus to increase the maximum take-off weight for a specially selected number of its state-of-the-art aircraft as demand for flights to and from Asia has risen”. The tweaks include “minor changes and updates to aircraft’s software and placards and manuals in cooperation with aircraft manufacturer Airbus” and would see maximum take-off weight for ten A350s lifted from 268 tonnes to 275 tonnes