Finnair ATR 72-500 regional turboprop aircraft on the apron at Helsinki Airport, Finland, operating a propeller service to Tallinn, Estonia.

Finnair-branded ATR 72-500 twin-engine regional turboprop aircraft on the apron at Helsinki Airport, Vantaa, Finland, operating a short-haul service between Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia. The aircraft type is operated for Finnair by Nordic Regional Airlines, usually known as Norra, and forms an important part of Finnair's regional network serving domestic Finnish, Nordic and Baltic destinations. Finnair currently lists 12 ATR 72-500 aircraft operated by Norra, configured with either 68 or 70 passenger seats. The type measures about 27.2 metres long with a wingspan of 27.1 metres, cruises at around 463 km/h and has a maximum cruising altitude of 7, 620 metres. Finnair has a long association with ATR turboprops: its first scheduled ATR service, flown by the smaller ATR 42, operated between Helsinki and Kuopio in March 1986, while the larger ATR 72 entered the group's fleet in 1989. The Helsinki-Tallinn sector is particularly suited to the economical regional turboprop. Finnair describes Helsinki-Tallinn-Helsinki as its shortest and most frequently operated ATR route, with a one-way flight taking up to around 30 minutes. Tallinn, across the Gulf of Finland, is one of the closest international destinations from Helsinki and a popular Baltic city-break market for leisure and business travellers. The photograph shows the high-wing aircraft with its two large six-bladed propellers, Finnair corporate livery and Finnish OH registration prefix while manoeuvring on the airport apron in clear summer weather. Helsinki Airport, IATA code HEL and ICAO code EFHK, is Finland's principal international aviation hub and Finnair's main base, providing onward connections between Finland, the Baltic region, wider Europe and long-haul destinations. The image illustrates short-haul European air travel, regional aviation, cross-Baltic connectivity and the continuing role of efficient turboprop aircraft on relatively short sectors where jet aircraft are not always necessary.