Tallinn Airport served nearly 356,000 passengers in a record-breaking September

Tallinn Airport welcomed nearly 356,000 passengers in September, an increase of 13 per cent compared with the same month last year. This was the highest September passenger total in the airport’s history. In the first nine months of the year, the airport served a total of 2.89 million passengers, up 12 per cent on the same period last year.

Scheduled flights operated from Tallinn to 41 destinations in September. Passenger growth was driven primarily by Wizz Air, which has expanded significantly in Tallinn over the past year. In September, the airline carried 16 per cent of all Tallinn Airport passengers and offered connections to nine destinations. airBaltic remained the airport’s largest airline, with a market share of 27 per cent. In total, 22 airlines operated scheduled and charter flights from Tallinn to more than 50 destinations during the month.

Scheduled flights accounted for 90 per cent of passengers, while charter flights accounted for 10 per cent. Antalya was the main charter destination, with holiday destinations in Greece and Montenegro also proving popular. The winter travel season to Egypt began in September.

Warsaw was the most popular direct destination for scheduled flights in September, followed by Helsinki, Riga, Stockholm and Frankfurt.

The number of aircraft movements increased by 5 per cent compared with September last year. There were 4,031 landings and take-offs in total, averaging 134 aircraft movements per day.

Regional airports

Passenger numbers also increased at Estonia’s regional airports. Together, they served 9,078 passengers in September, compared with 8,191 in September last year. Tartu Airport welcomed 4,847 passengers, Kuressaare Airport 3,008 and Kärdla Airport 1,111. Pärnu Airport served 104 passengers and Ruhnu Airfield eight.

Travel advice for the autumn school holidays

Tallinn Airport expects higher passenger numbers during the busy school holiday travel period from 21 October to 4 November. The airport therefore recommends arriving at the terminal two hours before departure.

• Check-in, security screening and passport control may take longer than usual. Preparing at home and checking the airport’s advice on how to pack luggage can help passengers pass through security quickly and smoothly.
• Before travelling, passengers should check the entry requirements for their destination on the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Reisi Targalt website. This includes checking the expiry dates of their own and their children’s travel documents and ensuring that they meet the destination’s requirements for validity after entry.
• Passengers arriving by car should allow extra time to find a parking space.

Photo: Otto Küng