Collaboration will study how Electra's Ultra Short aircraft can create faster, quieter, and more direct connections between Helsinki and Tallinn, where 7.5 million people travel each year HELSINKI, Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Electra today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Helsinki and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences to explore how Direct Aviation can enable faster, quieter, and more efficient regional air mobility across the Gulf of Finland. The collaboration will study a new approach to Helsinki-Tallinn connectivity using Electra's Ultra Short aircraft, designed to take off and land in just 50 metres, and compact access points located closer to where journeys begin and end. The parties will also evaluate additional regional destinations of interest to Helsinki residents, businesses, and visitors. Helsinki and Tallinn are twin cities, with just 80 kilometers separating them across the Gulf of Finland. Approximately 7.5 million travelers move between the cities each year, reflecting their strong commercial, tourism, and cultural ties. Despite the short distance, the journey can take hours. Ferries take two hours, plus the time required to reach the terminal and board, while flying today requires traveling through international airports and the traditional airport and security process. Direct Aviation means flying from where people are to where they want to go. By combining Ultra Short aircraft with compact access points closer to travelers, it can reduce the friction of ferry crossings, airport transfers, long drives, and hub connections and create faster, simpler, easier regional connections. "Helsinki and Tallinn are a natural Direct Aviation market: strong travel demand, short distance, and too much friction in the journey today," said Diana Siegel, Vice President of Commercial Programs at Electra. "By studying demand, infrastructure, operations, and economics together, we can understand what it would take to make this connection