Estonian Air to reduce the number of employees as part of restructuring efforts

Estonian Air stated (20-Nov-2012) due to the need to adjust operations in accordance to the reduced flight capacity, it will decrease its staff by 146 people. Workforce reduction will be applied to all structural units of Estonian Air. Currently 318 people are employed by the carrier, with Estonian Air CEO Jan Palmér stating, "Noticeable cutbacks in the flight volumes unfortunately leads to operating with smaller number of employees. The structure of the company will be based on operating 5 aircraft and serving 9-10 core destinations." Estonian Air stated it is working closely with the Estonian CAA during the downsizing process. "During such a large scale downsizing effort, we will consult the ECAA in every aspect of the restructuring to ensure the maximum level flight safety, which is the cornerstone in aviation," Mr Palmér said, adding, "The redundancy plan is adopted according to the decision by the Supervisory Council of Estonian Air to change the direction of the company. The model of operation for Estonian Air is based on core route network for Estonia, where there is a solid fundamental demand." The redundancy plan is applied to personnel in administrative and flight operations divisions. The new structure of Estonian Air foresees altogether 172 employees, out of which 100 of flight crew and the rest of support functions and operational administration. After reducing flight capacity Estonian Air will operate to 10 destinations: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Vilnius, and Trondheim. [more - original PR]