The most popular direct route in February was Tallinn-Stockholm, which was served by Nordica, Airbaltic, SAS and Norwegian Air. Over 20,000 passengers, or some 40% more than in February 2018, flew between the capitals of Estonia and Sweden last month, the airport said on Tuesday.

According to Eero Pärgmäe, CCO of Tallinn Airport, this kind of increase in the popularity of the Stockholm route can be explained by the increase in supply and airfare becoming more affordable as a result.

"The importance of Stockholm as a major hub has increased and will likely increase further as up to nine flights per day fly to Stockholm Arlanda Airport," Mr Pärgmäe said in a press release.

Passenger numbers continued to increase on most other direct routes as well, of which Tallinn serves 25. Declines were recorded primarily in connection with Nordica's discontinuation of flights to St. Petersburg as well as route network changes in on the Munich and Amsterdam routes.

Airbaltic was the largest carrier in Tallinn last month, with more passengers brought in by low-cost carriers Ryanair, Wizz Air and Norwegian as well.

"In January and February, the number of passengers increased by 17% and 14%, respectively, which has been a positive surprise for us and demonstrates a continued growth in demand," Mr Pärgmäe said.

According to the COO, more important than figures is the fact that Nordica's slight retreat has not delivered a blow to passenger numbers, and that through alternative solutions, the airport has actually been able to increase the number of seats on flights.

Last year, Tallinn Airport saw a record number of passengers, exceeding the 3 million mark on 31 December. Estonia's largest airport served an average of 8,200 passengers and 60 flights per day in 2018.