The airport must also move toward serving five million passengers a year within the same time frame.

The airport served around 3.5 million passengers last year and has been setting monthly records this summer, while destinations are around 60 during the high season in any case.

Tallinn Airport is state-owned and operates smaller airports, for instance in Pärnu and even on the small island of Kihnu.

While the previous owner expectations document, in force since 2023, set its goals in more general terms, naming ensuring and increasing air traffic and commercially profitable and efficient operations as Tallinn Airport's strategic objectives, the document newly signed by Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis (Reform) sets out more specific metrics.

The document's rationale includes that airports managed by Tallinn Airport form part of Estonia's critical infrastructure and play an important role in ensuring national defense and crisis management capabilities.

Investments are required under the document to be made in the terminal environment and infrastructure in accordance with the state's guidelines, so that capacity can be be improved.

As well as the passenger and destination figures, Tallinn Airport must ensure a network of air connections which meets the needs of the Estonian economy, which is taken to include a diverse selection of destinations and airlines, direct flights to Europe and other strategically important destinations. The frequency of connections must also be "reasonable" under the document.

The airport must encourage new routes, more airlines serving Tallinn, greater passenger flight choice, and competitive aviation service pricing. Airport terminal capacity must meet projected passenger demand, and the airports must comply with international safety requirements.

Annual targets will be set by the airport's supervisory board. The state says it expects stable returns from Tallinn Airport but allows its financial position, investment needs and dividend capacity to be considered, since its main goal is expanding international air connections. The airport may also take short-term financial measures to maintain or restore air links important to Estonia during extraordinary market changes.

Additionally, Pärnu Airport should be operated in a sustainable manner while preparing for its long-term transfer to a suitable partner, while Kihnu Airport will see preparation for the transfer or sale, while also taking the needs of the region into account.

In plans announced late last year, Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport is to get a €75 million upgrade, which will include boosting capacity to meet the above targets by 2030.

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