TALLINN INCREASE WILL DAMAGE ESTONIAN TOURISM, CONNECTIVITY, TRAFFIC AND JOBS

Ryanair, Europe’s no.1 airline, today (14 Feb) welcomed the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Urmas Reinsalu’s call to review Tallinn Airport’s excessive 33% charge increase, which will do nothing but create excess profits for Tallinn Airport at the expense of airline customers and passengers and the detriment of Estonia’s post-Covid recovery.

Despite Ryanair having already reduced its Summer ‘23 schedule at Tallinn by 35%, severing direct ties between the Estonian capital and 6 major cities (incl. Dublin, Malta and Naples), as well as reducing flights to Berlin as a direct result of Tallinn’s illogical decision to increase charges by an excessive 33%, Tallinn Airport CEO, Riivo Tuvike, is also now bizarrely signalling more charge increases which would make Estonia even more uncompetitive compared to its European counterparts and further jeopardise Estonia’s connectivity, tourism, traffic and jobs.

It is particularly alarming that Mr. Tuvike has publicly admitted to discussing future pricing strategies with Riga and Vilnius Airports, which is strictly prohibited under competition law. Price fixing between airports harms passengers, connectivity, employment and ultimately the Estonian and wider Baltic economies.

Ryanair joins Minister Reinsalu to again call on Tallinn Airport and the regulator to immediately reverse their reckless decision to increase charges and focus on lowering costs which would allow airlines, like Ryanair, to grow connectivity, inbound tourism, and passenger traffic for the benefit of Estonia’s citizens, communities, and wider economic recovery. In the absence of airport charge reductions Ryanair will need to review its Summer/Winter schedules for further capacity reductions.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said: 

“We welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ call to review Tallinn Airport’s excessive 33% charge increase. It is great to see that someone in the Estonian Govt is talking sense, especially when Tallinn Airport’s CEO is seeking to further damage Estonian connectivity, tourism and jobs by further increasing prices and revealing discussions with Riga and Vilnius Airports to jointly discuss future prices. Not only is this strictly prohibited under competition law, but it will have a detrimental impact on Estonia’s connectivity, tourism, traffic, jobs and overall post-Covid recovery.

This negative impact has already been evidenced by Ryanair’s cutting of 6 major routes to/from Tallinn earlier this month in direct response to Tallinn Airport’s reckless decision to increase charges by 33%. Regrettably for Estonian citizens and businesses, in the absence of immediate charge reductions further capacity reductions are inevitable.

Ryanair joins Minister Reinsalu to again call on Tallinn Airport and the regulator to reverse its strategy of excessive airport charges that damage connectivity and jobs and to focus on lowering costs which would see airlines like Ryanair grow tourism and jobs in the region.”