Nordic Business Report-January 19, 2007-Finnair to fit new seats on its Airbus A320 aircraft (C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com Finnish airline Finnair Plc said on Friday (19 January) that it will fit its Airbus A320 aircraft with new light structure seating that makes it possible to add as many as 15 seats to configurations. As a result of this extra seating Finnairs capacity on European and domestic routes will be increased by 5%. The Recaro Slimline CL3510 seating model uses new technology with a light build and modern design, allowing more leg room even though the seats are closer together. Another significant effect of the lighter seating will be savings in fuel consumption worth almost EUR1.0m a year, the company said. Installation of the new seats has begun on part of the fleet, and it is anticipated that all A320s and A321s will be fitted with the seating by the end of August 2007. Finnair, established in 1923, operates a route network of 50 international destinations and 15 domestic destinations with a fleet of 67 aircraft. The companys largest shareholder is the Finnish state with a 56.3% holding. Finnair is listed on the Nordic Exchange in Helsinki. One British pound (GBP) is worth approximately 1.49 euros (EUR). ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected]))