OREANDA-NEWS. November 16, 2011. In order to be successful in the new strategy, Estonian Air is planning to acquire five more economical and environmentally sustainable next generation regional aircraft to replace the current Boeing aircraft, reported the press-centre of Estonian Air.

In parallel to Boeing 737, Estonian Air is operating with two new CRJ NextGen aircraft that were delivered to Estonia in the beginning of the year. Altogether Estonian Air ordered three new CRJ900 NextGen aircraft from the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, the third new jet will be delivered to Estonia December this year.

“Bombardier aircraft have been showing very good operational results so far and have proven to be most ecological and economical aircraft of its size. They are extremely quiet and comfortable, and the most economical and ecological jets of that size. In fact, they have been proven to consume 4% less fuel than originally budgeted,” said Tero Taskila, the CEO of Estonian Air.

“In addition to the clear ecological and economical benefits, the aircraft is faster than Boeing jets too. Flying these aircraft will shorten the travel time for our customers. Our business clients have also emphasized that the decision on choosing airline in the future will be based more and more on green credentials,” added Taskila.

If the negotiations with manufacturer are successful, Estonian Air will serve the summer 2012 schedule with 7 next generation regional jets. Next four new aircraft will be delivered to Estonian Air in 2012, where three aircraft out of five will replace the existing Boeings and two will enable the company to grow.

“The company is now in final stages in negotiating agreements on new routes. After the negotiations are finished, the company will announce new frequencies and routes for next year. Regional jets allow us to improve frequencies and add new destinations without taking capacity risks, as these new aircraft are smaller than outgoing fleet” noted Taskila.

The shareholders approved Estonian Air’s new business strategy last week, that focuses on providing better air connections by widening the choice of destinations and increasing flight frequencies, and renewing the fleet.