ENTHUSIAST ’ S CORNER
Ralf Kurz CONTRIBUTOR
Baltic Aircraft Classics
After their independence in 1991 , radical change came to all areas of life in the Baltic states of Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania . While the political transition to stable parliamentary democracies was managed without any problems , the development of market economy structures required more time . As former Soviet republics , the three nations inherited the difficulties left by the failures of a planned economy dictated by faraway Moscow .
TODAY , ESTONIA IS A MODERN STATE that has found its place in the European community of nations . In everyday life , nothing remains of the legacy of a former socialist Soviet republic . The country is preserving its recaptured cultural and historical heritage , which goes back many centuries . As an early member of the medieval Hanseatic League , the capital Tallinn is home to one of the best-preserved castle complexes in Europe .
Domestic air travel in the nation changed radically after the state regained its sovereignty . This was no easy undertaking for a very small nation with less than 2 million inhabitants . When Estonian Air ( OV ) was founded , in 1991 , it quickly became clear that continuing operations with the fleet taken over from the USSR ’ s Aeroflot ( SU ) was not an option . The outdated Yakovlev 40s and Tupolev 134s were neither suited for the changed route network nor economically viable to operate .
In the long run , only privatization and a switch to western aircraft models could bring success . Estonian Air soon found a strong partner in Denmark ’ s Maersk Air ( DM ), which acquired a
49 % stake in the company . The fleet of the time , consisting of two brand-new Boeing 737-500s and two Fokker 50s , exactly met market needs . In addition to the scheduled routes to Frankfurt , Hamburg , Kyiv , Copenhagen , London , Moscow , Riga , Stockholm , and Vilnius , Estonian Air ran weekend charter flights to popular Mediterranean destinations such as Antalya , Athens , Dalaman , Heraklion , Larnaca , Naples , and Venice . Getting to Agadir in Morocco , however , required a refueling stop in Munich and expensive crew overnight stays . The destination thus soon disappeared from the program due to a lack of profitability .
Estonian Air did not fly to Helsinki , which lies only 50 miles ( 80km ) from Tallinn . This was due not so much to the existing fast catamaran ferries or comfortable helicopter shuttle but , rather , to the airline ’ s reluctance to feed customers to the hub of competitor Finnair ( AY ).
Despite Estonia ’ s small domestic market , a second scheduled carrier also operated abroad . Elk Airways found its passengers primarily among Russian-speaking citizens , who made up a third of
16 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JANUARY 2025 www . airwaysmag . com