Tartu Airport Struggles to Find Passengers
The number of passengers flying from Tartu to Tallinn in January was 448, down by 100 compared to December. The number of passengers flying from Tartu to Helsinki remained about the same, 1,173.
“If people don't start flying then the air carriers will quit,” Andres Taimla, the acting director of Tartu Airport, told Postimees, referring to FlyBe's decision last week to discontinue four routes to Finland that were opened at the same time as Helsinki–Tartu.
“I don't want to be pessimistic, but Tartu is in danger,” said Taimla.
Tartu Airport has managed to secure a regular clientele, Taimla said, which includes foreigners, but Tartu residents themselves are less-frequent flyers. “What is worrisome is the general lack of interest in flying for Tartu residents and southern Estonians,” Taimla said.
There is no easy fix, said Taimla, adding that marketing is the key. “Apparently many people have yet to be introduced to the flight possibilities in Tartu,” he said.
Ott Tammik