Ex-CEO of Estonian Air advises to start a new airline

Mar 13, 2013

TALLINN - A horrible ending is better than an endless horror, says former Estonian Air CEO Toomas Peterson, advising the government to start over with a new company, reports Estonian Public Broadcasting.

Speaking to Aripaev, Peterson noted that the government has already transferred 82.1 million euros in capital and loans to the state-owned airline since 2009.

He said that Estonian Air's operations would be feasible, if the company had five or six same-type aircraft flying to 10 destinations in Europe, with the state keeping a third of the shares, selling the rest to strategic investors and smaller shareholders.

Neighboring cities like Helsinki, Riga, Vilnius and St. Petersburg could be serviced by smaller airplanes run by a regional spinoff of Estonian Air, Peterson said.

On the verge of bankruptcy after years of unsustainable operations, Estonian Air is currently undergoing restructuring and is waiting for a green or red light from the European Commission on whether a government bailout will be permissible.

SOCIAL BOOKMARKS:   Delicious   Digg   Reddit   Ask   Facebook   MrWong   Netvouz