Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Encyclopedia
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located in Pirkkala
, 7 NM south-west of Tampere
city centre. The airport is the third busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of passengers (617,713 in 2010), and the second busiest airport in Finland
, as measured by the number of international passengers (526,401 in 2010). Tampere-Pirkkala is also one of Finland's fastest growing airports, having increased its annual passenger numbers from 256,380 in 2000 to 632,010 in 2006. Most of this growth can be attributed to Ryanair's
low cost flights to and from a number of destinations in Central and Western Europe.
The airport is also home to the Satakunta Air Command
base of the Finnish Air Force
, with F-18 Hornets stationed there.
Tampere Airport was founded in 1936 in Härmälä (a district in Tampere) located some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the centre of Tampere. At that time Härmälä airport was connected to Helsinki
, Vaasa
, Oulu
and Kemi
by Aero O/Y (now Finnair
). The first terminal building was built in 1941.
Karhumäki Airways
began to fly to Stockholm in the 1950s. The runway wasn't paved until 1958. Between 1936 and 1979 Härmälä airport served 1.5 million passengers. In 1979 Härmälä airport was closed and the new airport opened in Pirkkala.
Terminal 1 is connected to the city by a Paunu city bus service (route 61), while Terminal 2 has a direct Ryanair-affiliated link to the railway station
. There is a connection to Helsinki with one change of bus at Tampere coach station using Paunu's route 61. Taxi service is also available.
Pirkkala
Pirkkala is a municipality of Finland.It is located some south-west from Tampere in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, 7 NM south-west of Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
city centre. The airport is the third busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of passengers (617,713 in 2010), and the second busiest airport in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, as measured by the number of international passengers (526,401 in 2010). Tampere-Pirkkala is also one of Finland's fastest growing airports, having increased its annual passenger numbers from 256,380 in 2000 to 632,010 in 2006. Most of this growth can be attributed to Ryanair's
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
low cost flights to and from a number of destinations in Central and Western Europe.
The airport is also home to the Satakunta Air Command
Satakunta Air Command
The Satakunta Air Command is the peace-time Finnish Air Force unit, responsible for the protection of the airspace of western and western part of southern Finland...
base of the Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
, with F-18 Hornets stationed there.
History
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
, Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
, Oulu
Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport is located in the municipality of Oulunsalo, Finland, south-west of Oulu city centre. The airport is the second busiest in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa airport, as measured by the number of passengers and the amount of freight transported. There are around twenty daily flights to...
and Kemi
Kemi
Kemi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio. It was founded in 1869 by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour....
by Aero O/Y (now Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
). The first terminal building was built in 1941.
Karhumäki Airways
Karair
Karair was an airline from Finland. Initially having offered scheduled passenger flights, the company became a subsidiary of Finnair, mainly operating on holiday charter routes.-History:...
began to fly to Stockholm in the 1950s. The runway wasn't paved until 1958. Between 1936 and 1979 Härmälä airport served 1.5 million passengers. In 1979 Härmälä airport was closed and the new airport opened in Pirkkala.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
Transport links
Tampere railway station
The Tampere railway station is a functionalist building in Tampere, Finland, designed by Eero Seppälä and Otto Flodin, completed in 1936. The 36-metre clock tower was later added because the Finnish railway bureau required it...
. There is a connection to Helsinki with one change of bus at Tampere coach station using Paunu's route 61. Taxi service is also available.
Passengers
| Year | Domestic passengers | International passengers | Total passengers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 114,669 | 482,433 | 597,102 | +20.4% |
| 2006 | 119,432 | 512,578 | 632,010 | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 113,713 | 573,998 | 687,711 | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 107,954 | 601,402 | 709,356 | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 85,351 | 542,733 | 628,084 | −11.5% |
| 2010 | 91,312 | 526,276 | 617,588 | −1.7% |
Freight and mail
| Year | Domestic freight | Domestic mail | International freight | International mail | Total freight and mail | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111 | −17% |
| 2006 | 96 | 0 | 107 | 0 | 203 | +83% |
| 2007 | 65 | 0 | 105 | 0 | 170 | −16% |
| 2008 | 59 | 0 | 240 | 0 | 299 | +76% |
| 2009 | 14 | 0 | 845 | 2 | 861 | +188% |
| 2010 | 106 | 0 | 562 | 1 | 669 | −22% |