Andrew Chuter/TALLIN
Estonian Air is to transform its fleet in the wake of its co-operation agreement with SAS, switching the emphasis away from the Boeing 737 and Fokker 50 turboprop towards Bombardier regional jets.
The Tallin-based carrier, 49% owned by Denmark's Maersk Air, with the Estonian Government and the Baltic Cresco Investment group holding the rest, is to acquire four Bombardier CRJ-200s in 2001. The introduction into service of the first two 50-seat regional jets in April 2001 will result in the airline dropping its two Fokker 50s. A further two CRJ-200s are scheduled to join the fleet seven months later, resulting in one of its three 737-500s being relinquished.
The Bombardier aircraft will be sourced from the current Maersk order for CRJ-200s and the 70-seat CRJ-700 version. The second batch of aircraft will be ex-Maersk-operated CRJ-200s relinquished as the airline takes CRJ-700s.
In the interim, Estonian is to return the Fokker 50s subleased from Maersk for use on routes from Tallin to Helsinki, Minsk, Riga and Vilnius. It will replace them with two similar aircraft, a move which airline president Borge Thornbech says will avoid the carrier having to undertake a D check on the Maersk aircraft.
The 737 being returned is owned by Maersk. The other two Boeings are leased from International Lease Finance and are to be returned in 2000 and 2001, although talks are under way to extend the deal for two years, with an option on a further two years.
Estonian's fleet changes will allow it to tailor operations to fit the commercial alliance it signed with SAS in December.
The carrier expects to use its 737s predominantly on flights feeding Star Alliance members' hubs at Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. A codeshare agreement, expected to be signed with SAS alliance partner Lufthansa in time for the winter schedule, will result in the 737 being used on this route as Estonian attempts to shift passengers to the hubs of its new partners. It previously moved them into Finnair's system as part of a dissolved codeshare agreement.
Estonian's route structure covers 13 destinations in northern Europe, ranging from London to Moscow and Minsk. Some of these will switch entirely to the regional jet, or use the smaller aircraft when loads are light. Primarily, however, the regional jet will be used for route development to new destinations, with Brussels, Milan, Paris and Zurich being considered.
Source: Flight International
