Estonian ACMI operator Nordic Aviation Group adds Airbus A320

Estonian Nordic Aviation Group (NAG) further develops its ACMI business concept by adding the first 180-seat Airbus 320 aircraft to its fleet in the summer of 2022. From a business perspective, this will complement the ACMI capability to what the airline XFLY is offering in the regional CPA/ACMI market with ATR72-600s, CRJ900 and in the future E-Jets.

The decision means the Group can offer CPA/ACMI solutions from 70 to 180 seats to major airlines, tour operators and the charter market. Preparations to introduce this new business line have been going on during the pandemic with the goal to be ready when the market comes back to a “new normal”. The A320 will be operated by Nordica AOC, today operating CRJ900 on a Swedish PSO.

Mr Jan Palmer, NAG, stated: “This is a natural development for our Group. After six years of successful operations in the regional CPA/ACMI market, we are ready to enter this much bigger market segment. It provides us with new business opportunities and creates new valuable competencies within our group. Major airlines are more and more focusing on their main competitive business segments and outsourcing regional operations and adding ACMI’s for seasonal peak narrowbody capacities will grow in the future.”

Mr Anton Õnnik, NAG, adds: “We are confident that we will be able to reach a fleet of at least 10 A320s over the next few years based on the discussions we have been having with our potential customers. This will enable us to reach the critical mass and become a significant player in that segment.”

The Group has successfully operated throughout the pandemic and during the summer of 2022 operating in total 17 aircraft, 7 ATR72-600s, 9 CRJ900s and from July 1 A320. The group has in total 480 employees with head office in Tallinn and crew bases in Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Vilnius, and Turku.