Regional Jet has adopted the brand name Xfly and will expand its fleet with seven Embraer aircraft

In today’s press conference at the Tallinn Airport, Regional Jet, a company providing flight services in Estonia and Europe, announced the expansion of its fleet with seven Embraer aircraft and disclosed Xfly as its new brand name.

Jan Palmer, CEO of Xfly, said that the company has demonstrated rapid growth in the past – building the largest and most sustainable company in Estonian aviation history, which has become an important player in European air traffic in just four years.

While the current Xfly fleet includes 23 aeroplanes, the recent decision to undertaking the largest expansion in the history of the company and Estonian aviation will boost the fleet by seven Embraer aircraft within the next six months. Four of the seven additional planes will serve the routes from Tallinn to Stockholm, Brussels and Warsaw, operated by LOT Polish Airlines. The new planes will also be used to replace some of the older CRJ900 aircraft.

According to Palmer, this addition of a new type of aircraft represents a major step forward for the company, enabling it to provide its clients with a comprehensive solution in flight operations, beginning this summer.

“We are now a unique company in the European aviation market, with the capacity to provide services to airlines with three different types of aircraft, including the ATR72-600 turboprops and the CRJ900 and Embraer 190/195 jet airliners. This will give a significant boost to our competitiveness throughout Europe,” Palmer added.

Palmer noted that the expansion is underpinned with the adoption of the new brand name, providing clarity as to the role and position of the company in the aviation sector. While ‘Regional Jet’ is, in addition to being the name of the company, a term associated with jet planes that fly between regions, Xfly also uses turboprops to provide its services and, therefore, the word ‘Jet’ in the former brand name was somewhat misleading.

“As we intend to start offering longer flight connections to our clients, the word ‘Regional’ will soon become an obsolete reflection of the company’s actual business profile. The adoption of the new brand name will contribute to our strong growth, because it will provide the company, for the first time, with its own identity, emphasising our distinctiveness in the market as an employer and a service provider,” Palmer said.

According to Palmer, the global aviation sector is growing and changing at a very rapid pace. However, Xfly has become unique in the aviation sector as a company that provides comprehensive, long-term flight services, including crews and specialists. However, it is not exposed to retail risk and its profitability does not depend on ticket sales. The capacity to provide this service will soon be enhanced with the addition of seven aircraft, resulting in the creation of nearly 200 new jobs in Estonia and in Europe.

Established in 2015, Xfly is an Estonian aviation company offering regional flight and aircrew service for larger airline companies. Xfly employs 260 people in Tallinn, 150 in Denmark, 60 in Sweden, and an additional 35 specialists in other countries. The number of employees is expected to rise close to 700 before the end of the year. Its clients include European airlines SAS, LOT, Luxair, AirSERBIA, and flybe. Nordic Aviation Group owns 51% of the company and 49% belongs to LOT Polish Airlines. 

28 Feb 2020