Up to 10,000 Finnair passengers have suffered disruption on several days over mid-October 2025 due to question marks about fire safety on board some of the Finnish flag carrier’s fleet.
More than half (53%) of the airline’s Airbus A321s were grounded from Monday 13 October 2025, after maintenance teams cleaned their seats covers with water – a process whose “impact on fire protection has not been properly verified,” the seat manufacturer subsequently warned.
Simple Flying explains that aircraft cleaning can be split into three different categories: daily, overnight, and long-term, with the most “thorough cleaning” taking place “every 30 to 45 days” and involving the washing of seat covers, tray tables, overhead bins, and “even the cabin ceiling” as well as carpets shampoos.
It is not clear at the time of writing whether Finnair or a contractor is responsible for the seat cover water wash that created the potential fire retardant issue but a Finnair spokesperson said: “Safety is always our top priority, and we always follow the manufacturers’ maintenance instructions as well as the guidelines and recommendations of the authorities.”
The airline’s representative went on to confirm the suspension of “several flights between 13 and 17 October 2025” and said the carrier would be making “some daily aircraft type changes to minimise the number of cancellations. These aircraft changes will likely lead to overbookings. Flight cancellations, delays or changes in the operating airline may also occur.”
AirAdvisor called the incident a “freak maintenance mishap” but pointed out how costly it could be for what is one of Europe’s largest airlines, given that compensation for thousands of passengers could now be due. At least 58 flights appear to have been affected in the week to Thursday, including routes from Helsinki, London Heathrow, Malaga, Prague, and Oulu on Finland’s central west coast, according to FlightAware information.
“From a compensation perspective under UK and EU law (regulations UK261 and EU261), passengers whose flights were cancelled as a result of this operational error, which the courts may deem as within an airline’s control, could be due up to £520 in compensation for the inconvenience caused,” AirAdvisor CEO Anton Radchenko said, noting that passengers can also request a full refund or a seat on another flight.
When it comes to delays of over two hours, Radchenko highlighted affected passengers’ right to free food and drink vouchers, as well as overnight accommodation if the delay or rebooking pushes the departure to the following day – all of which rights Finnair confirms in its website statement on the disruption.
