* Q2 op loss 32.5 mln euros vs 30 mln loss avg forecast
* Sees clear loss in Q3, reaffirms to make full-year loss
* Believes demand has reached bottom, to recover gradually
* To start new jobs talks with unions
* Shares fall 3.3 percent
(Adds detail, quotes)
By Eva Lamppu and Brett Young
HELSINKI, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Finnairshed a fifth of its revenue and slumped to a worse-than-expected operating loss in the second quarter, prompting its chief executive to abandon his fight against a brutal industry downturn and quit.
"I am not satisfied with the results achieved; the rate of change has been insufficient," Jukka Hienonen said, aiming a parting shot at "some personnel organisations" he said were unwilling to adapt to change.
The Finnish airline cited weak demand and falling ticket prices for the 32.5 million euros ($47 million) April-June operating loss, which compared with a 20 million euros profit in the same period last year and missed the average forecast loss of 30 million in a Reuters poll of analysts.
Turnover in the quarter dropped an annual 21.6 percent to 427.4 million euros, missing all estimates in the poll where the average forecast was 446 million.
At 1033 GMT Finnair stock was down 3.28 percent at 4.13 euros. For the year it is down 17 percent.
State-controlled Finnair, like other airlines, has been battered as the economic slowdown throttles demand and has been a vocal critic of the industry, which it says cannot thrive with so many players.
The firm has launched a number of cost-savings programmes, with staff numbers down five percent to 9,098 at end-June from a year ago. Turnover in the same period fell 16 percent.
It has slashed capacity, but the slight rise in July passenger load factor reported on Thursday showed it was running hard just to stand still.
Finnair said it would make a clear operating loss in the third quarter, and repeated its whole year would be in the red. It said it would start new job talks with the unions to reach earlier announced cost-savings targets.
WORRIED
Analysts said Hienonen's departure was a blow, with the overall outlook grim.
"I'm worried (about the news) ... I think he was doing a great job with drive and good goals," said FIM analyst Jaakko Tyrvainen, who rates Finnair shares at "reduce".
"When will demand start to recover slightly? At the earliest at the end of 2010, but then oil prices will probably be higher," he added.
Pohjola analyst Jari Raisanen added: "My view is that 2010 will still be very, very disappointing. Consumer demand is not going to increase and unemployment is still going to rise in the second half of this year."
Finnair said it believed demand for air travel and cargo had bottomed out, but would only recover gradually once the global economy picked up.
"The crisis in air transport will continue as airlines encounter difficulties with their profitability, operational cash flow and financial position," Finnair said. (Reporting by Eva Lamppu and Brett Young, editing by David Cowell) ($1=.6954 Euro)