Tallinn-Kuressaare flight diverted to Kärdla due to Hiiumaa plane fault
Following a malfunction of the aircraft that serves the smaller Western Estonian island of Hiiumaa, Thursday morning's schedule Nyxair flight from Tallinn to Kuressaare, Saaremaa, was diverted to make a stop in Kärdla as well.
Nyxair CEO Jaanus Ojamets told ERR that this marked the first time the airline operated a scheduled passenger flight from Kärdla to Kuressaare.
"A spare part on our Kärdla plane's speedometer needs to be tested before installation and this testing equipment isn't currently available in Estonia, so to avoid major delays for the passengers, we decided to attempt a triangular route, since the number of passengers allowed for this option," Ojamets explained. "This is a first."
He had to admit, however, that since the decision to fly this triangular route wasn't made until that morning, no one from Hiiumaa was able to react quickly enough to take the flight to Saaremaa.
The ATR 42-500 that flew to Saaremaa via Hiiumaa on Thursday morning departed from Tallinn at 8:04 a.m. and touched down in the Estonian capital again around 10 a.m.
According to the latest information, Thursday evening's flights are expected to proceed as scheduled, with two planes, Ojamets added.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Aili Vahtla
