Finnair is replacing approximately 1,700 seat covers in eight A321 aircraft, and six of the planes will be back in service within a week.
All eight aircraft are expected to be back in operation by the end of the month.
Finnair temporarily suspended operations of these aircraft on Monday, 13 October, after having been informed by the manufacturer of the original seat covers that the impact of washing on the fire protection of the seat covers had not been verified in the required manner.
The affected seat covers were manufactured by a long-standing Finnair partner, based on specifications provided by the original seat manufacturer.
The covers have been washed in accordance with the information received from the original seat manufacturer. Seats are typically washed every two years. Washing is a standard cleaning method for aircraft seats and is used across the rest of Finnair’s fleet.
As a result of the situation, Finnair has had to cancel approximately 70 flights since 13 October, affecting the travel plans of around 11,000 customers.
Pekka Korhonen, SVP Technical Operations at Finnair says: “We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption this has caused to our customers.
“The safe operation of our flights is the foundation of everything we do. Once we received information that the impact of washing on the fire protection of the seat covers had not been verified in the required manner, it was clear that the aircraft had to remain on the ground until the issue was resolved.”
New seat covers are now being installed to allow the aircraft to return to service.
The first aircraft has already resumed operations, and Finnair expects all eight to be back in service by the end of October. The new covers are being sourced from multiple suppliers.
