Estonia: Ida-Virumaa officials mull opening flights to southern Finland

Officials from Estonia’s Ida-Virumaa county are considering the possibility of establishing a direct flight connection with southeastern Finland, ERR reports. Local officials from Narva, Narva-Jõesuu, and Sillamäe took a test flight from an airfield outside Narva to Pyhtää airport (Helsinki-East Aerodrome) in Finland. Esa Korjula, CEO of Pyhtää airport’s operator, Redstone Aero, and Terhi Lindholm, mayor of Pyhtää municipality, accompanied the Estonian officials on the half-hour flight. Korjula said that the discussions focused on the possibility of demand-based flights or air taxis, not regular flights. Lindholm said that the flight connection could not be launched very soon, however. Meanwhile, Esa Sirviö, mayor of the southern Finnish port city of Kotka, said that it was worth looking at whether such a connection was feasible.