Tallinn Airport handles record number of passengers in August

Tallinn Airport served close to 390,000 passengers in August, marking the best monthly result in the airport's history and a 16% increase compared to the same month last year, Estonian public broadcaster ERR News reported. Over the first eight months of the year, the airport has handled 2.54 million passengers in total, up 11% from the same period last year.

The growth has been attributed mainly to the expansion of low-cost carrier Wizz Air's operations in Tallinn. In August, Wizz Air accounted for 18% of all passengers and offered flights to nine destinations. Latvia's airBaltic remained the largest carrier at the airport, transporting 29% of total passengers in August. Overall, 19 airlines currently operate flights from Tallinn to more than 50 destinations.

Demand remains strong

Eero Pärgmäe, a board member of Tallinn Airport, said the August record confirms that demand for air travel remains high. He noted that, as usual, the number of routes will decrease with the start of the winter season in late October, but passengers will still be able to fly directly to 39 destinations and connect conveniently through major European hub airports.

The majority of August passengers — 94% — flew on scheduled routes, while the remaining 6% traveled on charter flights, mostly to Antalya, as well as to resorts in Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria. The most popular direct routes were to Warsaw, followed by Helsinki, Riga, Frankfurt and Stockholm. Compared with August last year, the total number of flights rose 5%, reaching 4,047.

Meanwhile, Estonia's regional airports saw passenger numbers decline in August, from 8,575 last year to 6,787 this year. The drop is explained by the closure of Kuressaare Airport from 10 to 31 August for reconstruction work.