Estonian Airspace 2025: More Flights, Larger Aircraft

Last year brought moderate growth in air traffic in Estonian airspace. In total, 181,522 flights were recorded, representing a 3% increase compared to the previous year. As in earlier years, overflights accounted for the majority— about 75%, or 135,705 flights. The number of overflights increased by 4.4% compared to 2024, indicating a continuing trend that Estonian airspace remains an important corridor in international aviation.

The picture for overflights is diverse. Finnair remains the largest overflight operator, although its volume decreased by 17% compared to the previous year. At the same time, operators of Chinese origin have shown remarkable growth—39,388 overflights, representing an increase of 48%. This demonstrates the rapidly growing role of Chinese aviation in Europe-bound cargo and passenger traffic. Cargo flights were also a significant driver of overflight growth: 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 increased modestly to 38,429 flights, which is 0.6% more than last year. At Tallinn Airport, a total of more than 40,000 flights landed and departed, which is 2% fewer 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 declined slightly, while Ryanair, which ranked third last year, fell to fourth place as its number of flights decreased by as much as 30%. In terms of destinations, Helsinki remains the most popular, accounting for 21% of flights at Tallinn Airport, followed by Stockholm and Riga.

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

“It is a pleasure to see that we are back on a growth path. The increase in overflights and cargo flights confirms the important role of Estonian airspace in international aviation. Passenger numbers at Tallinn Airport are growing, indicating improved 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 in and departing from Estonia,” said Ivar Värk, CEO of Lennuliiklusteenindus, summarizing the year.

Overall, the 2025 statistics 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.