SEVILLE, Spain—Tallinn Airport (TLL) is sharpening its focus on securing new connections to key unserved markets in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North America.
“There are still major country markets that are unserved or lack sufficient services including Portugal, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria to name a few, as well as a connection to [the] Middle East,” TLL CCO Eero Pärgmäe told Routes at Routes Europe 2025 here in Seville. “Our ambitions also extend to long-haul service, including North America.”
While Tallinn already benefits from high-frequency links to several major European hubs, the airport sees opportunities to expand both its point-to-point and transfer offerings, Pärgmäe explained.
To achieve this, Pärgmäe said TLL is combining a data-led approach to route development with commercial support and close coordination with national tourism bodies. “We have a targeted and data-driven approach to each route opportunity, but also an extensive support package for the airlines,” he said. “This includes incentives and support both from the airport and Estonian tourism organizations.”
Pärgmäe emphasized the strength of collaboration with Visit Estonia as a key asset in attracting new air services. “We have a very close partnership with Visit Estonia as well as a common goal to increase connectivity to Estonia and incoming tourism,” he said. “We develop and support the routes as one team, which I am sure airlines value.”
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He also pointed to strong outbound demand supported by the country’s economic growth. “The demand for outbound travel from Estonia continues to be strong, and the increase in average wages is supporting this travel sentiment.”
Pärgmäe acknowledged the challenges facing the industry. “The challenges I would say are probably similar to what many airlines, as well as airports, experience, and that involves the aircraft availability and issues with the engines,” he said. “We see that as one of the reasons holding back the development and this will probably have an influence in the next years to come as well.”
Despite those constraints, TLL is seeing continued momentum in its network. “We had an incredibly good year last year with a record of close to 3.5 million passengers and 18% growth compared to 2023,” Pärgmäe said. “Two new airlines and seven new routes added to the network.”
He also highlighted the presence of airBaltic, which will launch four new routes from Tallinn this summer and increase frequency to Amsterdam. “There will also be capacity growth from our other airlines, including SAS [Scandinavian Airlines] double-daily Copenhagen flights,” Pärgmäe said. Additionally, Jet2.com will enter the Estonian market next winter with seasonal Christmas market flights from three UK cities.
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