• Finnair, one of Europe’s largest airlines, has cancelled dozens of flights affecting around 10,000 passengers due to a ‘freak’ maintenance issue related to seat covers
• The cancellations happened between October 13 and 17, after the seat manufacturer raised concerns about the fire protection properties of the seat covers when washed with water
• The airline has emphasised that safety is its top priority and is working to resolve the issue promptly, with affected passengers eligible for compensation

Finnair, a top European airline, faced challenging disruptions after grounding dozens of flights due to concerns over seat safety.

The issues arose from potential fire safety risks associated with the cleaning method used on seat covers.

Finnair cancels flights over seats covers

The cancellations, which affected thousands of passengers, caused the airline to take several Airbus A321s out of service, Daily Mail reports.

Finnair’s spokesperson explained that the decision to ground the flights was made after the seat manufacturer raised concerns about the effectiveness of the cleaning process.

The airline prioritised passenger safety, ensuring that all maintenance instructions and guidelines from the authorities were followed.

Despite the challenges, Finnair aimed to minimise further disruptions by making adjustments to its flight schedule.

However, passengers may still face overbookings, cancellations, or delays. Affected passengers may be entitled to compensation and support.

In his words:

“The reason for the suspension is information received from the seat cover manufacturer indicating that the impact of the seat cover cleaning method (water washing) on fire protection has not been properly verified. Safety is always our top priority, and we always follow the manufacturers’ maintenance instructions as well as the guidelines and recommendations of the authorities.

“Due to the situation, we have cancelled several flights between 13 and 17 October 2025. Going forward, we will need to make 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.”

Air passenger rights expert comments on Finnair’s mishap

Reacting to the situation, an expert in air passenger rights, Anton Randchenko, noted that passengers could receive significant compensation for the inconvenience caused.

If flights are delayed, airlines are expected to provide essential amenities, such as food and accommodation, as needed.

Passengers who had their flights cancelled may also be able to request a refund or re-routing.

The expert commended Finnair for taking fast action to address the issue, emphasising the importance of passenger safety.

Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, said:

“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. It remains to be seen how Finnair will frame the cause of the cancellations, but the issue appears to have originated from a maintenance procedure rather than a regulatory safety order.

“If your flight is delayed by over two hours, airlines should offer affected passengers free food and drink vouchers to make the delay more comfortable. Equally, if your flight is moved to the following day, you can seek overnight accommodation from your airline. Fortunately, major airlines do take the safety of their passengers extremely seriously and Finnair should be commended for taking the required steps as swiftly as possible.”

Man laments after cancelling his flight

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man expressed his disappointment over the action of Air India airline after he cancelled his flight.

According to him, he had chosen to cancel his flight with the airline ‘after a continuous series of flight cancellations and growing concerns’.

Source: Legit.ng