The operator of Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport started  large extension and reconstruction works on May 1st. The bulk of the work will be done at night, and shouldn’t affect regular airline service, though delayed flights might be redirected to other airports in the region.

The schedule includes several changes to runway length which will be temporarily shortened to 2,570 meters. As a lot of the construction affects sections of the airport that are in everyday use, delayed flights arriving between 12:30 and 6:00 a.m. might be redirected to other airports.

Einari Bambus of Tallinn Airport Ltd’s management said that the company would do everything in its power to keep its reconstruction efforts from affecting travel. Bambus described the project as one of the most difficult in Estonia in recent years, as they needed to make sure safety was guaranteed as well.

Though the company didn’t expect the project to affect regular airline service, delayed flights might have to be redirected to Helsinki and Riga, Bambus added.

Construction is expected to take about a year and a half. Scheduled are the replacement of the airport’s 20-year-old runway surface, the extension of the runway to 3,480 meters, and the improvement of the taxiways and other infrastructure around the airport’s terminal. Also, the current beacon will be replaced with state-of-the-art technology.

Part of the construction aims at improving the airport’s environmental profile. This includes bringing the de-icing areas up to current standards and building an engine testing area that corresponds to the latest regulations.

ERR News