Tallinn Airport looks likely to hike its fees again from April next year, as state support will not cover all its outgoings, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported.
This will consist of a security fee, the airport said.
Tallinn Airport CEO Riivo Tuvike said: “From the state’s side we provide support for security and rescue services, but this support does not cover all costs, and we need to find a way to cover those expenses.”
“What we are planning in the near future is the implementation of a security fee. We are currently in a consultation process, and we plan to introduce this fee starting April 1 next year,” Tuvike added.
The state is providing Tallinn Airport with €9.5 million in support this year, part of a project to make Tallinn Airport a more attractive destination to airlines.
The previous administration had allocated €14.5 million for the period 2024–2027 specifically so the airport would not hike its fees.
However, Tallinn Airport says it has not yet received these funds.
“We haven’t received the funds yet, but we are working to ensure they reach us,” Tuvike told “Aktuaalne kaamera.”
Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Svet (SDE) noted the state provides €10 million in annual support to cover the costs of maintaining regional airports, security services, and to partly financing route subsidies.
This support is to be slightly reduced due to upcoming budget cuts, and, Minister Svet said, the airport may in any case not be able to avoid increasing fees.
Discussing this further would be “premature,” the minister said, in an environment of rising costs, while it is “likely that a fee increase may be forthcoming,” Svet said.
Two major passenger carriers, Ryanair and SAS, have announced they will be significantly cutting down the number of direct flights on the Tallinn-Stockholm route.
Tuvike said this is due to it being the off-season, though at the same time that does not mean that the airport has stopped seeking new flights for Tallinn, referencing a “route support program” which has an annual budget of around €4.5 million and which aims to expand the number of routes and frequency of their flights.
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Source:
‘Aktuaalne kaamera,’ reporter Toomas Pott.