Finland is to remove the swastika from the flags of its air force because its use has caused “awkward situations with foreign visitors”. The Nordic nation adopted the swastika as its air force symbol in 1918, years before Germany’s Nazi party chose it as its emblem. Air force command removed the swastika from use in 2020, but it lingers on the flags of some units. The Finnish air force told the Associated Press that plans to renew its unit flags started in 2023, the year Finland joined Nato. After the war, some flags were removed but many unit flags and decorations, including the insignia of the Air Force Academy, continued to bear the symbol.
