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Whilst the current Xfly fleet includes 23 planes, the recent decision to undertake 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, the company said.

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.

Jan Palmer, CEO of Xfly, said the 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. The second and equally significant aspect is that it will soon enable Estonian people to fly from Tallinn to several destinations on larger and more comfortable aeroplanes," Palmer said.

Palmer noted that the expansion is underpinned with the adoption of the new brand name, providing clarity on 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," Palmer said. He added that the changes will not affect the legal name of the company -- Regional Jet OU.

Xfly provides comprehensive, long-term flight services, including crews and specialists, but is not exposed to commercial risk, as its profitability does not depend on ticket sales.

The company said that the addition of the seven aircraft will result in the creation of nearly 200 new jobs in Estonia and Europe. According to Xfly’s five-year growth plan, the company intends to operate nearly 50 aircraft in 2025.

Xfly and Tallinn Airport last week signed an agreement for the construction of a 2,300 square meter aircraft maintenance hangar on the property of the airport. The new building will lie to the north of the runway and it will be large enough to accommodate one aircraft the size of an Airbus 321.

Palmer said that Tallinn is their home base and, being an Estonian aviation company, they are keen to create new and highly qualified jobs in the area.

Established 2015 in Estonia, Xfly is a service company offering long-term strategic partnership to major airlines. Xfly employs 260 people in Tallinn, 150 in Denmark, 60 in Sweden, and further 35 specialists in other countries.

The number of employees of Xfly is expected to rise close to 700 before the end of the year. Xfly's current clients include European airlines SAS, LOT, Luxair, AirSERBIA, Flybe and many others.

The Estonian state-owned company Nordic Aviation Group owns 51% of Xfly.