Aviation expert Sven Kukemelk does not consider it reasonable for Estonia to contribute to ensuring the continued operation of Latvia’s airBaltic, as proposed by the Latvian prime minister.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said last week that she would like to discuss with Estonia and Lithuania what role neighboring countries could play in helping the airline overcome its difficulties.
“I believe we need to coordinate aviation across the Baltic region together. I will discuss the current situation with my Baltic colleagues in both Estonia and Lithuania, as I know they also actively use airBaltic flights,” Silina said, while not specifying what Latvia expects from Estonia and Lithuania this time.
“I do not see how state ownership by Estonia and Lithuania would contribute to this in any way,” aviation expert Sven Kukemelk said on the “Terevisioon” morning show commenting on the proposal.
“If, as a country, we wanted to hold some kind of stake in airBaltic, we must keep in mind that half of its fleet operates for third-party airlines. Of the remainder, about 30 percent of flights are from Riga and then roughly 10 percent of those aircraft operate from Tallinn and 10 percent from Lithuania. To invest a large amount of capital in order to hold, say, a third of the airline just to secure 10 percent of flights does not seem like a very good or reasonable investment plan,” the aviation expert explained.
Read more: ERR.EE
