newstodate.aero
Jun 22, 2015 (newstodate): The debate in the Baltic states over the concept of a pan-Baltic carrier is heating up.
Long under consideration, the idea of forming a unified Baltic carrier to service Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania considered as one joint home market has gained fresh impetus after the demise in May of Lithuania's latest aborted attempt to keep a national carrier in the air, Air Lituanica.
At the same time, Estonian Air is still awaiting the final verdict by the EU Commission over previous years' allegedly illegal state-aid to keep the carrier alive.
If the verdict finds the state contravening the EU competition requirements, Estonian Air may go bust, unable to repay the substantial means despite energetic and successful efforts to return the carrier to profitability under Jan Palmer's leadership and an approved restruction plan.
If Estonian Air is found not-guilty, a private investor is ready to take over the stakes in the airline from the state.
The Latvian carrier airBaltic is the region's largest airline and has now announced its decision to build further on a strategy to provide air services not only from Latvia, but also from Estonian and Lithuania, expecting to launch up to 11 new direct flights into European cities both from Tallinn, Estonia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, under a new strategy till 2021.
One venue for realizing the concept of a pan-Baltic carrier would be for Estonian and Lithuanian investors to buy into Latvia's airBaltic, and this is now under intense debate in the region.
As Lithuania is without an own carrier to provide international air connections, at least this one party is considered positively inclined towards working along the pan-Baltic trail, besides Latvia.
Long under consideration, the idea of forming a unified Baltic carrier to service Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania considered as one joint home market has gained fresh impetus after the demise in May of Lithuania's latest aborted attempt to keep a national carrier in the air, Air Lituanica.
At the same time, Estonian Air is still awaiting the final verdict by the EU Commission over previous years' allegedly illegal state-aid to keep the carrier alive.
If the verdict finds the state contravening the EU competition requirements, Estonian Air may go bust, unable to repay the substantial means despite energetic and successful efforts to return the carrier to profitability under Jan Palmer's leadership and an approved restruction plan.
If Estonian Air is found not-guilty, a private investor is ready to take over the stakes in the airline from the state.
The Latvian carrier airBaltic is the region's largest airline and has now announced its decision to build further on a strategy to provide air services not only from Latvia, but also from Estonian and Lithuania, expecting to launch up to 11 new direct flights into European cities both from Tallinn, Estonia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, under a new strategy till 2021.
One venue for realizing the concept of a pan-Baltic carrier would be for Estonian and Lithuanian investors to buy into Latvia's airBaltic, and this is now under intense debate in the region.
As Lithuania is without an own carrier to provide international air connections, at least this one party is considered positively inclined towards working along the pan-Baltic trail, besides Latvia.