Around 1000 employees in technical services and associated operations are taking part in the walkout. The action follows from unions' rejection of Finnair’s proposal on financial support and re-employment support packages for employees who are at risk of redundancy due to a company plan to source its engine and component services from SR Technics.

Finnair estimates that it can fly the majority of its flights despite the industrial action. Some cancellations, however, can be expected, but at this stage Finnair says that the overall impact of the walkout is difficult to estimate.

In April, Finnair signed a memorandum of understanding with SR Technics on engine and component maintenance support. The agreement is a part of Finnair’s structural change that aims at restoring the company’s profitability.

Employee negotiations on the impacts of this agreement are still on-going, and they were expected to end on June 12th. Finnair has also been in talks with a potential buyer about the possibility of selling a part of its engine operations and securing a part of the jobs currently at risk.

Finnair has been forced to cancel several flights on Wednesday due to the ongoing industrial action. Two flights to Stockholm have been cancelled along with one to Toronto, another to Nagoya. A domestic flight to Oulu was also cancelled.