Finnair will start a collaboration with JD.com.
Finnair will be the first non-Chinese airline to open a flagship store for online flight bookings on the JD Travel platform, in the beginning of 2018.
The collaboration also includes promotions and loyalty member partnerships.
JD Travel benefits from JD.com’s 258.3 million customer base.
Through partnering with Finnair, JD Travel will deepen its foothold in the international travel market.
“This collaboration is an important milestone for Finnair and shows our commitment to offer more choices and localised services for our Chinese customers.
“As part of this collaboration, loyalty members will also be able to exchange points between Finnair Plus and JD Travel,” said Juha Järvinen, chief commercial officer, Finnair.
Over the past decade, Finnair has placed a strong strategic focus on the Chinese market and is fast becoming one of the biggest and most preferred European carriers operating between Europe and China.
The opening of the Nanjing route in May 2018 will increase Finnair’s growing footprint in north-east Asia, with the Finnish carrier flying to seven destinations in Greater China during the 2018 summer season.
“We are pleased to work with Finnair, an internationally respected name in international air travel, to bring more high-quality travel options to our international-minded customers,” said Feng Sun, general manager, JD Travel.
“We believe that this partnership will help Finnair connect with our more than a quarter of a billion consumers, opening up a significant new market.”