The Estonian national airline Estonian Air was established as a state company on December 1, 1991, immediately after the re-establishment of Estonian independence. In 1996, the Estonian government decided to privatize the airline, and 66% of the shares were offered for sale. The Danish airline Maersk Air, together with the Estonian investment bankers, Cresco Ltd ., won the privatization tender, and as a result the Estonian state owned 34% of the shares, Cresco Ltd. 17%, and Maersk Air 49% of the shares.

In 1999 code-share flights with SAS on the Tallinn-Copenhagen, Tallinn-Stockholm and Tallinn-Oslo routes were started, and Estonian Air became a partner-airline of the SAS EuroBonus frequent flyer program. Estonian Air started to use the Amadeus booking system (the British Airways booking system BABS was used previously), and the airline's services are also available in other international booking systems such as Sabre, Galileo, Gabriel.

In the same year, Estonian Air enhanced its web-site with online booking for airline tickets, hotels and rental cars. Estonian Air was one of the first eastern European airlines to offer such a service.

Tallinn Airport passenger terminal renovation project was completed. Estonian Air, the major operator in Tallinn Airport, has new and comfortable service areas and offices for its customers and employees in the modern passenger terminal.

In 2000 a comprehensive virtual travel site travelUp.net was launched.

In 2001 Estonian Air introduced a loyal customer card named PRIVILEGE for its frequent travellers, which supplements SAS Eurobonus frequent flyer program that is Estonian Air´s primary bonus program.
Estonian Air and Aeroflot Russian Airlines signed a code-share agreement on the Tallinn-Moscow route.
Estonian Aviation Fuelling Services Ltd. opened a new fuel storage facility in Tallinn airport. The facility provides fuel services to Estonian Air and to other airlines. Estonian Aviation Fuelling Services Ltd. is owned by Estonian Air (51%) and the international oil company Air BP (British Petroleum) (49%).
Estonian Air introduced a corporate program offering benefits to companies and organisations using Estonian Air's services regularly.

In 2002 Estonian Air renewed its homepage and online booking system. Since July 2002 travelUp is benamed reisi.net on www.reisi.net .

Annual Report 2002

In 2003 Estonian Air fleet of five Boeing 737-500 aircraft fly direct routes to twelve destinations: Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Kiev, Moscow, Vilnius, Paris, Oslo, Berlin and Amsterdam. Estonian Air operates to Brussels in co-operation with SAS and to Riga in co-operation with AirBaltic.

In September 2003 SAS AB signed an agreement with Danish Maersk Air A/S to acquire 49 percent of the shares in Estonian Air.

Information obtained from Estonian Air. For more information, please contact the airline or surf to their website at the Homepage address below.