Tallinn Airport
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport (ICAO: EETN; IATA: TLL; formerly Tallinn Airport or Ülemiste Airport) is Estonia’s largest airport and the home base of Nordica. Located just four kilometers from Tallinn city center on the eastern shore of Lake Ülemiste, the airport handles both domestic and international flights.
The airport features a single 3,480-meter-long and 45-meter-wide asphalt-concrete runway, capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747 (though not the Airbus A380). The airfield has five taxiways and 14 terminal gates.
On March 29, 2009, the airport was renamed in honor of Lennart Meri, Estonia’s second president.
History
The first airfield in Tallinn was located in Lasnamäe and served flights by Aeronaut. After Aeronaut went bankrupt in 1928, the German-Russian air transport company Deruluft began using Nehatu Airfield (12 km from central Tallinn) instead.
A seaplane harbor was built near Lake Ülemiste in 1928–1929 to serve Finnish flights. During World War II, operations ceased.
On March 26, 1929, the Estonian government passed an expropriation law to establish a public airport. Ten hectares of land were seized from Dvigatel and 22 heirs of the Wagners, with compensation exceeding 10 million cents. Leveling the land cost an additional 5 million cents.
Construction of the airport terminal began in 1932, and the partially completed runways opened on September 20, 1936. Total construction costs reached 25 million cents. Initially, the runways were 40 meters wide and 300 meters long, forming a triangle that allowed takeoffs and landings in six directions.
Before World War II, the airport was served by:
Aerotransport (now part of SAS Group)
Lufthansa
LOT Polish Airlines
Aero (now Finnair)
Modern Developments
May 9, 2013: A public library opened near Gate 1, with books donated by former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and his wife Evelin Ilves. The collection includes books in 10 languages, primarily Estonian, Russian, and English, including children’s books.
August 16, 2013: An art gallery opened, accessible to all arriving and departing passengers.
September 2013: An automated border control system was introduced for Schengen departures.
2017: The Nordea Lounge (business class lounge) was voted Best in Europe by Priority Pass. It serves premium passengers of Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Finnair, LOT, Lufthansa, Nordica, and Turkish Airlines.
October 2017: A pop-up gym opened for all passengers, encouraging travelers to stay active.
