Joint Press Release Ahead of the Launch of Emirates’ New Dubai-Helsinki Route

On Monday 31 of August 2026, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Helsinki, in cooperation with Emirates, organized a promotional event titled “Bridging Dubai and Helsinki with Emirates” at Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 in Helsinki, to celebrate the upcoming launch of Emirates’ new Dubai-Helsinki route.

The Emirates’ new route service introduces the only year-round, non-stop, direct link between Finland and the UAE, unlocking expanded opportunities for both international leisure and corporate travellers. Furthermore, it reinforces the strong bilateral relations between the UAE and Finland, underpinned by mutual interests in renewable energy, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, advanced technology, education, space and sustainable development. As the UAE is already Finland's largest export market in the Gulf region with non-oil bilateral trade standing at almost USD 579 million in 2025, this daily non-stop service to Helsinki will provide further opportunities for Finnish businesses to connect with the UAE and global markets.

The promotional event was opened with an introductory speech by H.E. Amna Fikri, Ambassador of the UAE to Finland and Estonia, highlighting recent progress in bilateral relations, notably through this new route which is a further testament to the strength and continuity of the UAE-Finland partnership. This was followed by speeches from the Guests of Honors of the event: H.E. Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, and H.E. Sakari Puisto, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland. In his speech, H.E. Sharaf underscored the significant role of this new route in improving connectivity between the two countries, further boosting bilateral trade flows, strengthening tourism and other people-to-people ties. For his part, H.E. Puisto emphasized that this new route will further strengthen the already strong commercial ties between the UAE and Finland, reflecting the genuine mutual interest in expanding cooperation across key strategic sectors.

The opening speeches were followed by a detailed presentation of the new flight route by Mr. Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President of Emirates’ Commercial Operations in North and West Europe. Mrs. Kawthar Alkharoossi, Head of Investments Supports & Inducement at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then gave a thorough presentation on the investment opportunities in the UAE. The event culminated in an open discussion and networking session among the participants of the event, which included a wide range of representatives from government institutions, local authorities, businesses, the hospitality and travel industries, and the diplomatic community.