The path to selecting this name was a long and winding one, because there were as many differing opinions as there were people involved in making the choice. There were around 20 names we seriously considered, and in the end it was Nordica that no one had any objections to and everyone seemed to like and deem appropriate straight away.

Estonia has always aligned itself more with Northern Europe than any other region, and that’s something the people in charge of our country have wanted to see reflected in the name of the national carrier. Also, ‘Nordica’ makes for a punchier and indeed logical follow-up to its current business name, Nordic Aviation Group, which people have already become relatively familiar with in the last four months. It was also important that the new name be suitably neutral and that it fit in terms of the future business prospects of the company. In this regard we also weighed up names that would work with our current partner, Adria Airways, making it easier for people to say both – something like ‘Adria Nordica’.

Names in Estonian were given a lot of thought, too, but ultimately those who felt that the name of an airline should be as international as possible and easy for people to pronounce in other countries outnumbered those who would rather have gone for something in the local language. Plenty of options were put on the table that included the word ‘Estonia’ in some form or other as well, but it’s our strategic goal to distinguish ourselves from Estonian Air as much as we can.

We’re aware of the fact that there are other companies in the world calling themselves Nordica and that the name has been used before, in some shape or form, a number of times. In many languages the word also has a geographical meaning. That’s why we’re turning a great deal of attention to ensuring that our Nordica trademark stands out for its originality and contemporary design.

What the brand identity behind the Nordica name turns out to be is something we’ll be revealing at the end of March, when our summer season gets underway. That’s when the names of the group as a whole and all group companies will be changing. For the moment though we’re working hard on the brand concept and its visuals, and until then we’ll be continuing as Nordic Aviation.

Even with the new brand we will still be guided by our principle and our desire to remain Estonian at heart – something people here in this country will love and that foreigners will come away from with good impressions. We want our aircraft to be like airborne Estonian embassies.

All of the 456 people who suggested names will receive a letter of gratitude and a flight ticket at a bargain-basement price by way of thanks, both of which should be in their inboxes any day now. Thank you all for contributing your ideas, which we value highly. None of you came up with the name Nordica, however – the kudos for that one goes to our team.

Sincerely,

Erik Sakkov & Nordic Aviation (soon to be known as Nordica)