Tallinn Airport launches detailed planning to increase capacity

Tallinn Airport AS initiated a detailed planning process to be ready for a growth in passenger numbers to up to 5 million passengers per year in the next decade. The main objective of initiating detailed planning is to increase the capacity of passenger and aircraft service areas. The detailed plan will provide a comprehensive solution for the area between Tartu Road and Airport Road.

According to Madle Lippus, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, the initiated planning will also help to create a connection to the planned Rail Baltic Ülemiste terminal. “The area between the airport and the new Rail Baltic terminal is one of Tallinn’s most important development areas in the coming years, where an urban environment will be planned that will be a dignified international gateway to Tallinn and a high-quality urban environment connected to the city centre through human-scale streets and sustainable mobility,” explained Lippus. “The plan initiated by the airport today is the first step we’re taking towards the new spatial quality of the region.”

The current detailed plan for the passenger terminal of the Tallinn Airport and the surrounding area dates back to 1999, and the perception of aviation development at that time has changed significantly over the next 25 years. As the number of aircraft and passengers stopping in Tallinn grows, the capacity of the passenger terminal and air traffic area will need to be increased – the passenger terminal will need to be expanded and additional passenger bridges and stands will need to be built. As this is a long process, the airport is looking to the future and has initiated a detailed planning process.

According to Riivo Tuvike, CEO of AS Tallinna Lennujaam, passenger growth is closely linked to economic growth and overall well-being. “The development of aviation needs to follow the long perspective. The number of passengers at Tallinn Airport will grow steadily in the coming years and the expansion of the areas serving them is inevitable. The first major extension of the airport was completed in 2008 and we’ll continue to expand in stages in line with passenger forecasts in the future,” said Tuvike, adding that the initiated detailed plan will provide the opportunity to expand the passenger areas by as much as 80,000 m².

“The airport is a technically complex building, where the comfort of the passengers as well as several restrictions have to be taken into account,” said Tuvike. “We’re the business card of Estonia and the architecture of the buildings is therefore important – we’ll definitely organise an architectural competition for the areas. The planning and architectural competition will also address the area between the airport and Tartu Road, as it’s important for us to create a holistic environment that fits into the urban space, supports it and is modern but also sustainable. We’ll put an emphasis on green spaces, convenient movement of different modes of transport, especially public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. We hope to start construction as soon as the detailed plan is in place and the competitions have been completed. Today, we believe that we can start construction already in this decade.”