Airport, Energy, Estonia, Transport

In aviation one has to be 100% certain that not a drop of low quality fuel ends up in a plane’s tanks. It is analysed at every stage and Tallinn Airport’s board member Erik Sakkov compares it to doping tests athletes have to take. If some parameter is not in line with requirements, fuel supplies are suspended. That is what happened and the airport sent on Saturday all aviation firms an announcement that they cannot get fuel in Tallinn.

“What happened next was that the Irish went to Riga for fuel; people waited; the Czech went to Helsinki. Lufthansa thought that it would go to Helsinki but it took so long there that pilots work hours were full and the people were sent to Estonia by ship,” Sakkov explained the confusion that followed. The work hours Estonian Air was also disturbed greatly.

Fuel is sold to planes using Tallinn Airport by Eesti Aviokütuse Teenuste AS, a subsidiary of BP and Estonian Air and Naftelf Eesti AS. Both get fuel from the Lithuanian Mazheikiai oil refinery. Naftelf’s fuel was cleared on Sunday and selling it continued, said Sakkov.