SAS initiated its correspondence with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip because Economy Minister Juhan Parts allegedly attacked the state’s co-shareholders in Estonian Air with insults, claims Olev Schults, the airline’s chairman of the supervisory board. Despite the tension, he says that SAS needs Estonian Air as a national carrier and that the airline has a definite future. ”During the economic crisis, fewer and fewer passengers can be seen in Tallinn Airport. I would not be surprised to see some major brands packing their bags. No one flies here just for the reason that Tallinn is a capital – there is no such business model. I dare to predict that Estonian Air’s market share might even increase as the market volume is decreasing faster than we are cutting back our flights.”

 

Eesti Paevaleht, 2008-12-10