airBaltic to set up base in Tallinn
11.03.2010, 15:11Latvian national carrier AirBaltic will establish a base in the Estonian capital Tallinn this year and begin eight new routes in competition with Estonian Air, airBaltic's CEO Bertolt Flick said today, according to Bloomberg.
Riga-based AirBaltic remains open to talks about cooperation with Estonian Air, which has reported losses for the past three years and is seeking a strategic partner to survive, Flick said in an interview at the Berlin tourism fair.
Five of the new routes will connect Tallinn with locations in Finland, the CEO said.
The airline said that in February 2010, it carried 36% more Estonian passengers on direct flights and via Riga Airport. The airline said it carried 10,379 passengers during February 2010 compared to 7,632 in February 2009.
In Estonia, airBaltic serves five direct flights from Tallinn to Riga, Vilnius, Turku, Tampere, Lappeenranta and one direct flight from Tartu to Riga.
Overall, airBaltic carried 186,512 passengers in February 2010, representing 27% more than in the same month in 2009, when airBaltic transported 147,425 passengers.