Diamond Sky to continue operating Tallinn-Kärdla flight route
Estonian Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas (SDE) has signed a public service contract with airline Diamond Sky, for the Tallinn-Kärdla route. The company will continue to operate the route for the next seven months.
According to the ministry, the contract signed with Diamond Sky is valid until March 27, 2024.
The aircraft used on the route will be a 33-seat Saab 340A.
Estonian Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas (SDE) said that flights would continue without interruption and that anyone wishing to buy tickets will be able to do so.
In addition to Diamond Sky, Skystream Airlines, which was founded last year, and NyxAir, which operates the Kuressaare route, have all submitted bids to win the contract.
The Estonian islands' air link procurements have been cause for dispute for years. Last summer, Lithuanian companyTransaviabaltika, which had been operating the Tallinn-Kärdla air route, announced that the route was no longer economically viable due to increasing input prices.
The Lithuanian airline also turned to court resolve the issue, after which it reached a compromise with the Estonian Transport Administration (Transpordiamet), which allowed the company to terminate its contract. What followed was a new seven-month-long procurement procedure, which ultimately resulted in Transaviabaltika earning one and a half times more per flight provided.
At the start of this year, the Estonian Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) signed a contract with Diamond Sky to operate the Tallinn-Kärdla route.
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Editor: Michael Cole
