Tallinn Airport received initial reports from passengers on Monday evening that flights had been canceled. It then noticed Ryanair had halted ticket sales to several destinations on its website.

"This came as a big surprise to us, as during a meeting just last week, the airline confirmed it would operate 11 routes this summer. Furthermore, the airline has not informed us of any dissatisfaction regarding the routes, airport fees, or changes to the flight schedule," said the airport's communications manager Margot Holts.

The airport hopes to receive clarification from Ryanair as soon as possible about why the changes were made. It also wants to determine what will happen with the routes in the winter season.

Holts said four routes have temporarily been removed from the route map. Air Baltic also operates flights to Billund, and Milan can still be reached via Malpensa Airport.

In summary, this means that instead of last year's 50 routes, Tallinn will have 49 destinations available this summer.

Holts highlighted that Ryanair has made significant route cuts for the summer season this year in Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, and Italy, blaming the governments of these countries for increasing aviation-related fees.

In the second half of 2024, Ryanair also cited problems with aircraft availability, which led to the closure of its base in Billund and a reduction of four aircraft in Bergamo.

The communications manager said Ryanair has been aware of Tallinn Airport's €3 security fee since September last year and still confirmed its summer schedule with 11 routes.

"If the change is related to this fee, then to minimize passenger dissatisfaction, adjustments should have been made to the schedule when planning the summer flights and before ticket sales began. The airport should also have been informed of any intentions," Holts said.

Based on preliminary data, the airport believes the impact will be minor. Efforts are being made to find new carriers for the canceled routes.

As a result of the cancellations, passenger numbers are expected to decrease by less than 5 percent, and the total number of passengers in 2025 will remain at last year's level, Holts said.

Ryanair will continue operating flights from Tallinn to Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, London (Stansted), Milan (Malpensa), and Stockholm.

This summer season, Air Baltic will launch new routes from Tallinn to Reykjavik, Tirana (Albania), and Barcelona. Additionally, instead of a short seasonal series, it will operate flights to Palma de Mallorca throughout the summer season.

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