Tomorrow, Friday 20 March, is the 85th anniversary of the first flight of Finnair, then Aero Oy - to Tallinn, Estonia. On 20 March 1924 a Junkers F 13 seaplane took off from the Katajanokka terminal in Helsinki. In its first year of operations, Aero carried 269 passengers. Finnair is one of world's oldest continually operating airlines. Last year, we carried 8.3 million passengers, of whom more than 1.3 million were on Asian flights. “A proud history is a fine achievement, but that alone is no guarantee of a successful future. We can, however, still influence the future; the past is already history. That's why visions are important,” explains Finnair's SVP Communications and Public Relations Christer Haglund. 85 year-old Finnair has peeked boldly in the future of aviation, all the way to 2093. In the book Departure 2093 - Five Visions of Future Flying, Finnair enlists the aid of aircraft manufacturer Airbus and other experts to highlight perspectives that are both essential and fascinating when addressing the future development of air travel. The book is available in Finland at the Academic Bookstore and you can also learn more about the topic at the website www.departure2093.com. The pages of the book also present aircraft of the future, the work of artist Kauko Helavuo. You can now vote on which of these aircraft is the most captivating. In addition to the vote, you can also express your own view, in word or pictures, on the future of flying in a competition beginning on Friday 20 March. The best vision of future flying will be awarded the prize of a return trip from Europe to Asia or vice versa on Finnair's scheduled flights. All those who participate will also be entered into a draw for product prizes. The results will be announced on 27 May 2009. You can enter the competition on the website www.departure2093.com. Finnair Plc Communications 19.3.2009 Further information: Finnair Media Desk tel. +358 9 818 4020 or media.desk[a]finnair.com. Competition: www.departure2093.com Photobank: www.finnair.com/gallery Finnair blogs: blogs.finnair.com Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com/en via.Helsinki: www.viahelsinki.com