A total of five carriers filed their tender offers for the €16.8 million contract to operate the service, with Estonian carrier Nyxair OÜ picked. The outcome was challenged by Regional Jet, a subsidiary of state-owned airline Nordica, however.

The Public Procurement Appeals Committee claimed the carrier's contest of regarding NyxAir as the winner of the tender is not justified and since the company did not present further appeal to the Tallinn Administrative Court, the tender is confirmed and NyxAir will begin operation on the Kuressaare-Tallinn route.

Kirke Williamson, hea of the Road Administration's (Maanteeamet) public transportation department, told ERR: "The deadline to appeal to the Public Procurement Appeals Committee has passed and the Road Administration can now sign a contract for operation on the Kuressaare-Tallinn flight route. When the new carrier will begin operating will become clear after the contract is signed."

NyxAir's offer for the tender claimed a per-flight price of €5,215. The company's CEO Jaanus Ojamets said NyxAir will fly between the biggest city of Saaremaa, Kuressaare, and Tallinn, with twin-turboprop airliner ATR 42-500.

Currently, NyxAir, with its eight planes, is offering charter and regular flights in Estonia and further. Since August, the company is also operating on two domestic lines in Sweden, flying from Stockholm Bromma Airport to Malmö and Ängelholm-Helsingborg.

Regional Jet's challenge of NyxAir's win was that the latter's offer did not meet the requirements because NyxAir does not have an international ticket sales platform and their offer €5,215 per flight points to undersupply. The appeals committee did not see this contest as justified.

Currently, Lithuanian carrier Transaviabaltika, whose also submitted their proposal for the tender, operates on the line. The tender was announced after it was deemed the Lithuanian airline's aircraft were too elderly.

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