The company has decided to withdraw from its plans to operate the route in question over the coming autumn and winter months as passengers started cancelling their bookings due to fear of imminent travel restrictions.

"As a direct result of significant information noise and mixed messages circulating in the Finnish media regarding the latest travel advice, the ticket sales of ferry companies have significantly reduced as passengers are confused about the travel advice and nervous about purchasing tickets for fear that they will face the possibility of a quarantine at very short notice if they do travel. This has resulted in great numbers of customers cancelling their trips for the months ahead and requesting refunds instead," Paavo Nõgene, CEO, Tallink Grupp, commented.

He furthered, "After detailed analysis of the forecasts and our best current estimates of how the pandemic and travel restrictions situation is likely to unfold in the coming weeks and months, we have today made the decision to cancel the plans we had for operating the Tallinn-Turku route this autumn and winter and to suspend this route already from this Friday, 28 August."

"This to ensure that we take necessary action as early as possible and thus limit any potential losses that would result from delaying this decision," Nõgene said before adding, "The tourism sector will be under significant pressure until at least next summer. Decisive action by our governments is vital and requires swift action for the survival of our sector in this pandemic situation."

Tallink & Silja Line originally planned to sail with Baltic Queen across the Turku-Tallinn service till end-March 2021. According to the company, the temporary route turned out to be very popular once the travel restrictions between Estonia and Finland were lifted in summer.

Photo: Tallink Grupp/Marko Stampehl