Estonian Airspace 2025: More Flights, Larger Aircraft

The past year brought moderate growth in air traffic in Estonian airspace. A total of 181,522 flights were operated, which is 3% more than the year before. As in previous years, overflights accounted for the majority – 75% or 135,705 flights. The number of overflights increased by 4.4% compared to 2024, indicating a continuing trend that Estonian airspace is an important corridor in international air traffic.

In terms of overflights, the picture is diverse. Finnair remains the largest overflight operator, but its volume decreased by 17% compared to the previous year. At the same time, operators originating from China have made a significant increase – 39,388 overflights, representing a 48% growth. This shows that the role of Chinese aviation in Europe-bound cargo and passenger traffic is growing rapidly. An important factor in the growth of overflights was also cargo traffic: the cargo segment increased by 33%, totaling 10,551 flights. The main routes were between China and Western Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

The number of international arrivals and departures grew modestly – 38,429 flights, which is 0.6% more than last year. At Tallinn Airport, a total of more than 40,000 flights landed and took off, which is 2% less than in 2024. Among airlines, airBaltic is the clear leader with a 27% market share and 14% growth. Finnair holds second place with an 18% share, growing by 0.4%. Scandinavian Airlines has a 9% share but has decreased slightly, and Ryanair, which was in third place last year, fell to fourth, as the number of its flights decreased by as much as 30%. In terms of destinations, Helsinki remains the most popular, accounting for 21% of Tallinn Airport flights, followed by Stockholm and Riga.

Domestic flights continue to decline. In 2025, 7,388 flights were operated, which is 13% less than the year before.

“It is a pleasure to see that we are back on a growth path. The increase in the number of overflights and cargo flights confirms the important role of Estonian airspace in international aviation. Passenger numbers at Tallinn Airport are growing, indicating better aircraft load factors and the arrival of larger aircraft. I hope that we will soon also see growth in the number of international scheduled flights arriving and departing from here,” said Ivar Värk, CEO of Air Navigation Services, when summarising the year.

In summary, the statistics for 2025 show that Estonian airspace is becoming an increasingly important corridor for international cargo flights and long-haul travel, while domestic air traffic continues its downward trend.