On Friday, September 25, the company announced that it will stop traffic on the route until the end of October this year and will decide on the further operation of the route in the coming weeks. However, considering the number of reservations for the next months on the route, the company has decided to cancel the route until the spring of 2021.
The reopening of the route will largely depend on the further development of the Covid-19 pandemic, possible travel restrictions in the region and demand, as well as negotiations with governments in the company’s operating markets.
Currently, the company plans to resume operation of the route in May 2021.
The company acknowledged that at the time the Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) included Finland in the list of countries with a 14-day cumulative Covid-19 morbidity rate per 100,000 inhabitants exceeding 16, thus requiring all travelers from Finland to days of self-isolation, the number of passenger bookings fell sharply.
Commenting on the decision to suspend the route until next spring, Pavoo Negene, Chairman of the Board of Tallink Grupp, pointed out that the decision to suspend a route is never easy. “Even now, the situation has not become simpler, as this challenging year is constantly bringing us both ups and downs. However, the inclusion of Finland on the” yellow list “has significantly reduced the number of bookings for the next period. As a result, we have no choice but to stop the ship. traffic on the route to avoid losses, “he explained.
Negene emphasized that Tallink hopes to renew the Riga-Helsinki route from May 2021, and negotiations are already underway with the Latvian authorities.
Tallink customer service specialists will contact all passengers who have booked trips on the Riga-Helsinki route in the near future.
Currently, traffic is provided on the route Riga-Stockholm, performing special flights once a week. Tallink voyages are operated by the ship “Victoria I”.
