Call for tenders launched for Savonlinna air services

The public tender procedure concerns two daily round-trip services between Savonlinna and Helsinki on working days with the exception of Friday, for which one round-trip service is required. The air services will commence at the earliest on 4 October 2021, and the contract period will last until the end of the week before Christmas 2024.

“Because of the coronavirus epidemic, there have been no flights between Savonlinna and Helsinki for over a year. With this public tender, the flights can be restarted in the autumn,” says Director Pipsa Eklund.

The call for tenders will end on 30 August 2021. The procurement is a shared-cost arrangement, and the costs will be borne by the State of Finland and the City of Savonlinna.

“Scheduled air services are considered extremely important for the international industry and business in Savonlinna, and we are very pleased that the tender procedure can now be launched,” says Jarmo Häkkinen, acting director of economic development at the City of Savonlinna.

Call for tenders open to all EU air carriers

The public service obligation imposed by Traficom sets minimum standards for the air carriers participating in the tender procedure. Tenders can be submitted by all air carriers that are established in the EU and meet the minimum criteria of the call.

In the call for tenders, Traficom and Savonlinna have determined maximum ticket prices and defined certain responsibilities for air carriers to ensure smooth travel chains. A one-way ticket may cost at the most EUR 200, a round-trip ticket EUR 300. The passenger capacity of flights must be at least 19 seats.

All documents concerning the call for tenders and information on the public service obligation are available on the Traficom website (External link).