Traditionally, the way to enter Estonia has been to take one of the many ferries operating between Helsinki and Tallinn, with millions of Finnish visitors each year taking this route. Interesting enough, so far there have been no direct travel opportunities between Estonia and the rest of Finland, i.e. between Tallinn and cities other than Helsinki.
This vacuum has now been filled, with airBaltic offering direct flights from Tallinn to Turku, Lappeenranta, Tampere, and Oulu (via Turku). By bringing Estonia closer to Finland north of Helsinki, I believe, many more Finnish tourists can be expected to take advantage of Estonia’s many opportunities. Lappeenranta, by the way, has turned into a popular airport also for Russians living in the larger St. Petersburg area, allowing them to travel to Western Europe at attractive fares.
One of the first routes opened by airBaltic way back in the 1990s was the one between Riga and Helsinki. Today, Riga to Helsinki has become a major airway with airBaltic offering seven daily flights, connecting Finland not only to the three Baltic States but also to Western/Southern Europe as well as to the countries of the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East. In addition to Helsinki, airBaltic also operates direct routes from Riga to Turku, Tampere, Vaasa, and Lappeenranta. From these destinations, flights continue to Oulu (via Turku), Rovaniemi (via Tampere), Kuopio and Kuusamo (via Lappeenranta), and to Umeå in Sweden (via Vaasa).
With more than 100 weekly flights between Riga and Finland, and 30 between Tallinn and Finland, airBaltic offers a wide choice for businessmen and tourists alike, bringing North-Eastern Europe closer together, and making it easily accessible also for other markets, be it inside or outside of Europe. Soon airBaltic will also start flying from Oulu to Stockholm, as well as from Tallinn to Stockholm.
Bertolt Flick
President and CEO |
