Estonia’s southwestern regional airport Pärnu Airport is seeking a new operator capable of bringing international routes to the city after scheduled traffic largely disappeared.
The decision follows a meeting between state and municipal stakeholders, with the competition to find a new operator expected to be launched in the coming weeks, writes ERR Majandus.
Seeking a new operating model
The airport currently has one regular route to the island of Ruhnu, operated only from October to May. The airport also handles occasional private flights and provides maintenance services for cargo aircraft in its hangar.
“The situation now is that we have been paying relatively large sums for an airport where, unfortunately, planes do not fly. But Pärnu’s expectation is clear: planes should fly to Pärnu. It is not so much about Pärnu residents being able to fly to the world, but about people flying to us. That is the biggest concern that needs to be resolved,” Siim Suursild, mayor of Pärnu, said.
According to Suursild, the current situation began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global aviation activity was disrupted.
Building demand for international routes
The state, Pärnu City and Tallinn Airport signed a three-party agreement in 2017 under which the state would make the initial infrastructure investment and cover part of the airport’s operating costs. Pärnu City is responsible for the remaining costs, and the agreement runs until 2031.
Last year, the state contributed €522,000 towards the airport’s costs, while the city paid €390,000.
“Pärnu has so far had the problem that no airline has wanted to come here to operate on commercial terms. This means that getting an international route here would require significant investment. The example of Tartu shows that it can work: Tartu City invests in the Helsinki route, and it has worked,” said Katrin Hagel, a member of the management board of Tallinn Airport.
Keeping year-round operations in view
Erki Teemägi, head of Pärnu Airport, said the airport continues to operate even when scheduled flights are not running. Autumn and spring are used for additional training, equipment maintenance and documentation work.
“Pärnu Airport could gain additional momentum. Naturally, this requires additional resources, but we will discuss all of this together with our partners. It remains important for maintaining a year-round connection with Ruhnu Island, and it would be good if more commercial opportunities could be found,” said Taivo Linnamägi, head of the aviation department at the Ministry of Climate.
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