Category Archives: Nordica

Nordica begins to fly under its own name and code for the first time

Nordica - LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACD (msn 15276) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 954317.

Nordica, which forms part of the Nordic Aviation Group, operated its first regular flights on August 1, having been internationally certified as an airline and issued with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) code.

This is also the first time that passengers have purchased tickets from Nordica’s own sales platform.

Chief Commercial Officer Deepak Ahluwalia says that it may come as a surprise to many people to learn that Nordica has only now become an airline in IATA terms. “That said, it was never a secret that we were using other airlines’ ticket sales systems and outsourcing flight operation services from other companies,” he remarked. “Fully breaking away from LOT Polish Airlines and ensuring we have the capacity we need to operate independently are developments that have occurred over the last year or so.”

The first regular flight operated by Nordica under its own name took off from Tallinn at 11:20 on August 1 to serve the Gällivare-Arvidjaur-Stockholm route the airline won for itself in a Swedish public procurement.

Founded in 2015, the Nordic Aviation Group has grown to become the biggest airline in Estonian history. Nordica’s subsidiary Regional Jet, which operates under the Xfly trademark, provides flight services to Nordica, LOT, SAS and other procurement-based partners in Europe.

Note: Nordica is currently only operating two Bombardier CRJ900s.

Top Copyright Photo: Nordica – LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACD (msn 15276) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 954317.

Nordica aircraft slide show:

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Nordica to retire its brand, will hand over ticket sales to LOT, will only continue operating flights for LOT

Nordica (Adria Airways) Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACG (msn 15277) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 935492.

Nordica has made this dramatic announcement that will retire the Nordica brand:

Nordica and LOT have signed a renewed cooperation agreement under which LOT will take over the management of ticket sales and customer service and Nordica will focus solely operating flights.

As a result of the reorganization, five unprofitable routes will be suspended from the end of October until an improvement in the competitive situation is seen. Flights will continue from Tallinn to Stockholm, Brussels and Warsaw, which will be serviced by LOT from the  July 1, 2019.

According to Kristi Ojakäär, a member of Nordica’s Management Board, this is a forward-looking business decision. “Nordica has a duty to ensure the airline’s profitability and sustainability – this is what the ownership expects of us. Strong competition and oversupply of seats on Tallinn routes do not allow us to operate profitably, today. In order to maintain readiness and our ability to provide the necessary regional air connections to Estonia in the future, Nordica will continue to provide air services and LOT will deal with routes and ticket sales and will carry the commercial risk,” explained Ojakäär.

“Until today, Nordica had been carrying the commercial risk on all Tallinn routes and had simultaneously provided the air services. In foreign markets, however, we have been performing the role of a direct air service provider for several years, leaving the commercial risk to the vendor. We will now implement this model in all markets,” said Ojakäär.

The total volume of Nordica’s flights and the number of crew working for the airline will not decrease. At the same time, Nordica, who has so far used LOT’s ticketing system, will start developing its own commercial platform to ensure readiness for independent ticketing in the future.

According to Ojakäär, there are so many new routes and flying opportunities out of Tallinn that the situation is better than ever. “According to the current flight plan, Tallinn Airport has direct connections to 37 destinations. Being a local airline, Nordica has most certainly contributed to expanding the market, having offered strong competition to foreign companies,” said Ojakäär.

Rearrangement will have the highest impact on passengers who travel from Tallinn to Trondheim, as no other airline will be able to serve this direct connection as of October 26, 2019.

Other Nordica destinations will be served by LOT, SAS, Wizz Air, Norwegian and AirBaltic after this date. Ojakäär gave assurances that tickets to the routes that are to be closed can be purchased up until the October 26. Customers who have bought a ticket for Nordic flights after the October 26 will be offered alternative flight options or cash refunds.

Founded in 2015, Nordic Aviation Group AS (Nordica) has grown to become Estonia’s largest airline. Since 2016, Nordica has been cooperating with LOT Polish Airlines. Regional Jet, a subsidiary of Nordica (51%) and LOT (49%), provides air services to LOT, Nordica, SAS, Air Serbia, Flyby and various contract partners in Europe. Regional Jet operates 19 aircraft and carries about 2 million passengers per year, employing more than 500 aviation specialists in Estonia and abroad.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Nordica (Adria Airways) Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACG (msn 15277) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 935492.

Nordica aircraft slide show:

Nordica to close three unprofitable routes in Tallinn

Nordica - LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACB (msn 15261) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 938682.

Nordica has made this announcement:

In January, Nordica will be ceasing to service routes that the current competition conditions render economically unviable, freeing up aircraft and crew that it will instead use for profitable subcontracting services.

Starting from January 14, 2019, Nordica’s winter schedule will include eight nonstop flights from Tallinn: to Stockholm, Vilnius, Copenhagen, Brussels, Kyiv, Warsaw, Vienna and Munich.

Due to the prevailing market situation, it will no longer be operating flights to Oslo, Amsterdam or St Petersburg.

Hannes Saarpuu, the head of the Nordic Aviation Group, says that the closure of the St Petersburg and Amsterdam routes is because of limited demand, while the closure of the Oslo route is the result of fierce competition making it financially unviable to fly to the Norwegian capital as the third most popular carrier on the same route. “We’re better off channelling our resources into projects that are profitable and boost our financial results,” he said. “We have to turn a profit first and foremost, just like any other company, and the changes we’re making to our route network will help us achieve that. Nordica’s flexibility and being able to respond to changes on the market as they happen are important factors in ensuring our long-term success.”

Passengers affected by the closure of the routes will be offered alternative solutions. Full information is already available on the Nordica website regarding the process and passengers’ rights. Saarpuu says no one will have to worry about their ticket. “Airlines are well-trained in reacting promptly when it comes to getting ticketed passengers to their destinations,” he reassured clients. “It’s a situation that comes up quite often in the industry, for a number of different reasons.”

Nordica currently operates 19 aircraft, around 10 of which start their days from the company’s base in Tallinn. According to plans for 2019 this number will not decrease; in fact, if further export projects are implemented, it may increase. Nordica’s subsidiary Regional Jet continues to grow and demand for new pilots and cabin crew remains high.

In its three years of operations Nordica has become one of the most competitive airlines in its region and the biggest airline in Estonian history. In the first 10 months of 2018 the airline flew almost 600,000 travellers, a more than 20% rise in passenger numbers compared to the same period in 2017. It exports its flight services to Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands and employs more than 500 aviation specialists in Estonia and abroad.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Nordica – LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACB (msn 15261) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 938682.

Nordica aircraft slide show:

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Nordica posts profit of almost 0.9 million euros for 2017

Nordica - LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACK (msn 15211) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 941980.

Nordica issued this statement:

Nordica’s second year of operations was a very successful one: although a loss of around 6 million euros had been forecast for the airline, it managed to earn almost 0.9 million euros in profit. This was primarily due to the 68% rise in passenger numbers Nordica experienced during the year.

Jaan Tamm, chairman of the management board of Nordic Aviation Group AS, says that 2017 can be characterised by such keywords as more rapid growth than originally planned and significantly improved financial indicators. “Once again I’d like to thank all of our passengers first and foremost, since their faith in Nordica is what’s led us to be able to share this great news with everyone today,” he said. “Building up a brand new airline isn’t easy, so having the support of the local population is critical. Thank you to everyone who’s flown with us for that trust.”

The Estonian airline started the year with six aircraft but added a further 10 to its fleet throughout 2017, making Nordica one of the fastest-growing airlines in Northern Europe. Three new routes were launched during the year (to St Petersburg, Hamburg and Gothenburg), raising the total number of Nordica destinations from 15 to 18.

The airline’s mission is to create flight connections to Estonia and thereby to support the development of Estonian society, the country’s economy and tourism. The number of passengers flying out of Tallinn with Nordica grew by as much as 68% in 2017, giving it a clear market-leading position at Tallinn Airport. Due to the small size of the local market, Nordica’s objective in building up a sustainable and profitable airline is to also turn a great deal of attention to the provision of services on foreign markets. In doing so the airline will have the opportunity to achieve a critical mass in terms of scale, reduce its unit costs and generate additional profit.

Nordica has become one of the most competitive airlines in its region, currently operating 19 aircraft – making it the biggest airline in Estonian history. It exports its flight services to Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands and employs almost 450 aviation specialists in Estonia and abroad.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Nordica): Nordica – LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACK (msn 15211) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 941980.

Nordica aircraft slide show:

Nordica to add Groningen – Nice service

Operated by LOT Polish Airlines

Nordica (Tallinn) will add seasonal weekly service connecting Groningen with Nice from June 16 to October 6, 2018 according to Airline Route.

In other news, Nordica welcomed its one millionth passenger on December 20, 2017. The airline issued this statement:

Compared to 2016, Estonia’s national airline Nordica has flown 65% more passengers in the year to date – including, today, the one millionth traveller to fly with the airline!

During the high season Nordica flies to 20 destinations and remains unchallenged as the airline with the largest share of the Estonian market.

Toomas Uibo, Nordica’s Director of Marketing and Communication, says that the company had expected to break the one-million-passenger barrier in 2018 but that its successful period of growth has meant it reaching this symbolic milestone before the end of 2017. “For a small country and a young airline, that’s a big number,” he said. “It means a lot. We’re really grateful to all of the passengers who’ve flown with us and helped us hit this mark much earlier than we thought we would.”

The airline presented its one millionth passenger with two free tickets to the Nordica destination of their choice. The lucky recipient will be able to choose from more than 20 destinations.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Nordica): Nordica – LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 (CL-600-2C10) ES-ACF (msn 10085) AMS (Marco Finelli). Image: 936529.

Nordica to launch flights to Copenhagen in the spring

Nordica - LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACB (msn 15261) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 938682.

Nordica has issued this statement:

Nordica’s growth is progressing as planned, and this includes flights to Copenhagen, which will start on April 27, 2018.

Nordica’s morning flights to Copenhagen will depart from Tallinn at 7:00 on weekdays and its evening flights at 18:30 from Tuesday to Friday. The Sunday evening flight will depart for Copenhagen at 17:30. Return flights to Tallinn will depart at 8:10 from Monday to Friday and at 19:40 from Tuesday to Friday, with the Sunday evening flight departing Copenhagen at 18:40.

The launch of the Tallinn-Copenhagen route will also boost transit travel through Tallinn Airport: starting in spring passengers from the Danish capital will be able to fly with Nordica via Estonia to Kyiv, Vilnius and St Petersburg. The route will also give Ukrainian travellers the chance to reach Scandinavia via Tallinn.

Copyright Photo: Nordica – LOT Polish Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) ES-ACB (msn 15261) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 938682.