Latvian airline airBaltic made an announcement in its press conference at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport on 14 December, that it will establish a new base at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. The airline will base one of its aircraft on Tampere-Pirkkala Airport and will add direct flights to six destinations in Europe.
Making Tampere-Pirkkala Airport a base for an aircraft means that airBaltic has allocated a specific aeroplane as well as a crew for Tampere-Pirkkala. The airport will serve as the departure airport for all the flights operated with that aeroplane.
“We are delighted to see airBaltic showing 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 travellers, whom we hope to utilize the new routes”, says Jani Jolkkonen, Finavia’s Senior Vice President of Airport Networks.
AirBaltic is currently operating flights from Riga to Tampere-Pirkkala. Starting from May 2022, airBaltic will perform direct flights from Tampere to Oslo (Norway) and Copenhagen (Denmark), Frankfurt and Munich (both Germany), Malaga (Spain) and Rhodes (Greece).
“We have been performing direct flights from Riga to Tampere 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”, says Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic.
“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 travellers, and we are happy the region is now even more accessible to visitors from all over the world”, says Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere City.
