Oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Japan Airlines and Finnair will start their planned joint business between Europe and Japan on April 1.
The three airlines will share revenue and cooperate on scheduling and pricing between Japan and Europe.
The move follows Japanese regulators approving the airlines’ plans last autumn to include Finnair in the joint business established in 2012 by BA and Jal.
The three airlines started selling joint fares last month on selected routes for travel after April 1.
Finnair flies daily from Helsinki to Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in summer. Jal also operates daily from Tokyo to Helsinki, Frankfurt, Paris and London, while BA will operate daily flights from April 9 to both Narita and Haneda airports in Tokyo from Heathrow.
BA executive chairman Keith Williams said: “Finnair’s inclusion in the joint business with British Airways and Japan Airlines will open up a whole new world of opportunity for customers travelling between Japan and Europe.
“With an expanded range of routes, special fares and greater rewards for frequent flyers, it has never been a better time to plan your journey between east and west.”
Finnair chief executive Pekka Vauramo said: “Since the authorities gave the green light for us to enter this joint business, we have worked very hard with our new partners to establish a well-functioning cooperation.
“Together, the three of us will constitute the single largest player in Europe-Japan traffic, offering an extremely competitive customer proposition in this vital market.”