Finnair to return grounded A321s to service after resolving seat cover safety issue

Finnair grounded eight of its Airbus A321 aircraft after discovering that water-washed seat covers may not have met the European Union's fire-protection standards. The issue was identified after maintenance procedures involving a third-party supplier and the original seat manufacturer. As a result, the airline canceled approximately 70 flights, affecting around 11,000 passengers. To manage the disruption, Finnair leased backup aircraft and replaced about 1,700 seat covers.

The airline stated that the affected aircraft are scheduled to return to service by the end of October. Finnair described the situation as an "exceptional circumstance" and said it required additional attention. Pekka Korhonen, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Finnair, said, "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."

The grounding of these aircraft significantly reduced Finnair's short-haul capacity, leading to missed connections, rebookings, and longer travel times for passengers. The airline had to reorganize crew and aircraft schedules and arrange for wet-leased aircraft to maintain operations. Financially, Finnair faced lost revenue from canceled flights and additional costs related to leasing and maintenance.