Editing Finnair (section)

=== Expansion (1980s) ===
[[File:CV-440 OH-LRD Finnair F172-2.jpg|thumb|Finnair [[Convair 440]] in 1980]]

In 1981, Finnair opened routes to [[Seattle]] and [[Los Angeles]]. Finnair became the first operator to fly non-stop from [[Western Europe]] to [[Japan]], operating Helsinki–[[Tokyo]] flights with a modified [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30ER]] in April 1983.<ref name=WAD/> Until then, flights had to go via [[Moscow]] ([[Aeroflot]], [[Scandinavian Airlines|SAS]], [[British Airways|BA]]) or [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] (most carriers)<ref>[http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-247940.html Flying over not so friendly countries [Archive&#93; – PPRuNe Forums]. Pprune.org (1967-11-04). Retrieved on 2010-11-03.</ref> due to [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[airspace]] restrictions, but Finnair circumvented these by flying directly north from Helsinki, over the [[North Pole]] and back south through the [[Bering Strait]], avoiding Soviet airspace.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%202900.html 1986 | 2900 | Flight Archive]. Flightglobal.com (1986-10-25). Retrieved on 2010-11-03.</ref> However, Finnair did not have to make a roundabout because of the Soviet regulation on this route, but the Japanese authorities demanded it (as [[Japan Airlines|JAL]] requested strongly).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%202900.html|title=1986 {{!}} 2900 {{!}} Flight Archive|website=www.flightglobal.com|access-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> The aircraft was fitted with extra fuel tanks, taking 13 hours for the trip.<ref name=WAD/> The routes through Soviet airspace and with a stopover in Moscow also took 13 hours, but flights with a stopover in Anchorage took up to 16 hours, giving Finnair a competitive edge. In the spring of 1986, Soviet regulators finally cleared the way for Air France and Japan Airlines to fly nonstop Paris-Tokyo services over Soviet airspace, putting Finnair at a disadvantage.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%200806.html 1986 | 0806 | Flight Archive]. Flightglobal.com (1986-04-05). Retrieved on 2010-11-03.</ref>

Finnair launched a Helsinki-[[Beijing]] route in 1988, making Finnair the first Western European carrier to fly non-stop between [[Europe]] and [[China]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.finncham.com.hk/membership/member-directory/13803/finnair|title=Finnair|website=Finnish Chamber of Commerce|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-23}}</ref> In 1989, Finnair became the launch customer for the [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]], the first of which was delivered on 7 December 1990. The first revenue service with the MD-11 took place on 20 December 1990, with OH-LGA{{discuss}} operating a flight from Helsinki to [[Tenerife]] in the [[Canary Islands]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airlineworld.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/finnairs-last-md-11-passenger-flight/|title=Finnair's Last MD-11 Passenger Flight|date=2010-02-23|website=Airline world|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23}}</ref>