From May 2022, the Latvian airline AirBaltic will establish a base from Tampere Airport in Finland.
During the autumn, rumors have flourished that AirBaltic is looking for a new market for its expanding fleet. Stockholm Arlanda has been the rumor that has flourished the strongest, but with a stronger presence of Ryanair, Norwegian, and the upcoming establishment of Eurowings, Stockholm may be a saturated market for now.
Today came the news, that AirBaltic’s first establishment of a base outside the Baltic countries will be Tampere in Finland. At first glance, many were surprised by the choice. But on closer inspection, Tampere and its surroundings have a similar catchment area as Air Baltic’s already established bases in the Baltic.
Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “We have been performing direct flights from Tampere to Riga for almost five years now. Our decision to open a new base in Tampere shows our strong commitment to this city, and will offer more convenient and affordable travel options for many Finnish passengers.”
Jani Jolkkonen, SVP, Airport Network and Deputy CEO at Finavia: “We are delighted to see airBaltic showing an even stronger commitment to Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. We at Finavia have been cooperating with airBaltic for years and this new opening takes our cooperation to the next level. Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is a very important airport for Finavia and during recent years we have invested almost 20 million euros in developing the airport. The new base brings the airBaltic connections to Europe close to the local businesses and leisure travelers, whom we hope to utilize the new routes.”
Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere City: “We are happy to welcome airBaltic to its new base in Tampere. Tampere region is a fast-growing, international metropolitan area, and the new direct flight routes are vital to companies, tourism, international talents, innovations, and to the continuing growth of the region. They strengthen our connection to other European cities. Tampere region has a lot to offer to both business and leisure travelers, and we are happy the region is now even more accessible to visitors from all over the world.”
Starting from May 2022, airBaltic will perform direct flights from Tampere to Oslo (Norway) and Copenhagen (Denmark), Frankfurt and Munich (both Germany) as well as sunny leisure destinations Malaga (Spain) and Rhodes (Greece).
(Photo: AirBaltic)
