OREANDA-NEWS.  October 02, 2012. European Region Airline Association (ERA) recognized Estonian Air for its excellence and achievements with Airline of the Year 2012/2013 Silver Award. It is the first time the carrier has won an ERA Award, reported the press-centre of Estonian Air.  

Estonian Air was recognised as an outstanding example of a successful link between an airport and a regional carrier, where the hub and spokes model has enabled to attract a considerable amount of transfer traffic and leading up to an impressive growth. Estonian Air is distinguished by very clear targets and an innovative approach. The focus on new social media constitute major achievements.

Tero Taskila, the CEO of Estonian Air was presented with the trophy at the ERA annual Awards event yesterday evening in Dublin, Ireland. “Is a great honour to receive such an acknowledgement from the regional airline business community and international media. Our team is passionate to continue the path of developments despite the challenging and complex market conditions,” said Taskila.

Estonian Air also got an Award for excellence in recognition of consistent, accurate and timely punctuality reporting.

The Gold went to Wideroe and the Bronze to Atlantic Airways.

About ERA Airline of the Year Award

The ERA Airline of the Year Award was introduced in 1991 and has since grown to become the most widely recognised industry award in this sector.

The aim of the award is to recognise the best overall achievement by an ERA member airline
over the previous 12 months. It also provides a significant opportunity for the winner to raise
their profile in the international air transport industry. In 2000, the Airline of the Year Award was extended to incorporate Gold, Silver and Bronze accolades.

ERA airline members are diverse by nature and the focus of this Award is therefore on specific achievements that are evaluated in the context of an individual airline’s operating conditions. The judging panel comprises a mix of industry's senior experts together with respected air transport journalists from all over Europe.

About ERA

Founded in 1980, ERA is the principal body representing the interests of the intra-European air transport industry in Europe. It is an association of over 200 companies, representing the entire industry, including airlines, airports and associate and affiliate members comprising aircraft and engine manufacturers, international and regional airports, and avionic suppliers and service providers. ERA’s Airline members are operating in 32 countries and carry over 70 million passengers annually.

Estonian Air joined ERA in December 2011.

About Estonian Air

AS Estonian Air, Estonia’s national carrier, provides both business travellers and tourists direct air link from Estonia to European cities. Estonian Air is the biggest operator at Tallinn Airport.
Estonian Air focuses on improving the connection between Estonia and the rest of the world with the aim of increasing competitiveness as a network carrier hub.

The airline flies currently to 20 destinations in Europe, Scandinavia and in CIS.
Estonian Air was recently chosen among the top 5 airlines in Northern Europe by Skytrax.
In November 2011 in Miami, USA, Estonian Air’s social media loyalty programme AirScore won a Mega Award in the category of the Best Social Media Campaign.