The UAE Embassy in Helsinki and Emirates marked the upcoming launch of a new Dubai–Helsinki route at an event held on 31 August 2026 at Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 in the Finnish capital. The daily non-stop service will be the only year-round direct connection between Finland and the UAE.
UAE Ambassador to Finland and Estonia Amna Fikri opened the event, framing the new route as evidence of the broader momentum in UAE-Finland relations.
Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, spoke to the route’s role in strengthening trade flows and people-to-people ties, while Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto said it reflected genuine shared interest in expanding cooperation across key sectors.
The UAE is already Finland’s largest export market in the Gulf, with non-oil bilateral trade reaching almost $579 million in 2025. The new service is expected to make it easier for Finnish companies to access UAE and wider global markets, while also boosting leisure and corporate travel in both directions.
Pierfrancesco Carino, Emirates Vice President of Commercial Operations for North and West Europe, presented details of the route. Kawthar Alkharoossi, Head of Investment Support and Inducement at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed with a presentation on investment opportunities in the UAE.
The two countries’ stated areas of shared interest include renewable energy, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, advanced technology, education, space and sustainable development. The event drew representatives from government, business, the hospitality and travel industries, and the diplomatic community.
