Pärnu Airport
Encyclopedia
Pärnu Airport is an airport
in Estonia
. The airport is situated 4 km (2½ mi) from the city of Pärnu
.
In October 1937 Pärnu town council designated an area of 0.28 km² (69 ac
) for the building of an airport. Operations at the new airport began in 1939.
During the Soviet occupation, the airfield was operated by the Soviet Air Force
. It was an interceptor aircraft
base, operated by 366 IAP (366th Interceptor Aviation Regiment) and possibly the 655 IAP (655th Interceptor Aviation Regiment), which flew Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
aircraft from the 1970s until the 1990s.
Aeroflot
used to operate Tartu-Viljandi-Pärnu-Kingissepa (now Kuressaare) services using Antonov An-2
biplanes.
In the summer of 1992, the re-constituted Estonian defence ministry took over the military airport, which had drawn down its operations. On 15 October the same year it was decided to build a civil airport at the site of the old military airport. The old runway
was closed on 1 July 1997, and regular flights started to use the runway that had belonged to the Soviet air force.
The small airline Air Livonia
flies from Pärnu to Kuressaare
, Kihnu
and Ruhnu
. The airport is often visited by private aircraft from Scandinavia
and other European countries. 5,148 people travelled via Pärnu Airport in 2010.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. The airport is situated 4 km (2½ mi) from the city of Pärnu
Pärnu
Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...
.
In October 1937 Pärnu town council designated an area of 0.28 km² (69 ac
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) for the building of an airport. Operations at the new airport began in 1939.
During the Soviet occupation, the airfield was operated by the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
. It was an interceptor aircraft
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
base, operated by 366 IAP (366th Interceptor Aviation Regiment) and possibly the 655 IAP (655th Interceptor Aviation Regiment), which flew Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...
aircraft from the 1970s until the 1990s.
Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
used to operate Tartu-Viljandi-Pärnu-Kingissepa (now Kuressaare) services using Antonov An-2
Antonov An-2
The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
biplanes.
In the summer of 1992, the re-constituted Estonian defence ministry took over the military airport, which had drawn down its operations. On 15 October the same year it was decided to build a civil airport at the site of the old military airport. The old runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
was closed on 1 July 1997, and regular flights started to use the runway that had belonged to the Soviet air force.
The small airline Air Livonia
Air Livonia
Air Livonia was a small airline based at Pärnu Airport in Estonia providing scheduled and charter flights.- Code data :*ICAO Code: LIV*Callsign: LIVONIA- Services :Air Livonia operated the following scheduled services :...
flies from Pärnu to Kuressaare
Kuressaare
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706...
, Kihnu
Kihnu
Kihnu is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 16,4 km² it is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga and the seventh largest island of Estonia. The length of the island is 7 km and width 3.3 km, the highest point is at 8.9 m above sea level.The island belongs to the Pärnu...
and Ruhnu
Ruhnu
Ruhnu is an island situated in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to Estonia and is an administrative part of Saare County. At 11.9 km2 it has currently less than 100, mostly ethnic Estonian permanent inhabitants...
. The airport is often visited by private aircraft from Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and other European countries. 5,148 people travelled via Pärnu Airport in 2010.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
| Rank | City | Airport | Passengers (2010) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  RigaRiga Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,... |
Riga International Airport Riga International Airport -Cargo airlines:*DHL Express*Inversija*RAF-Avia*Sprintair*TNT NV*Transavibaltika*UPS-Traffic statistics:Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepāja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is... |
4,663,692 |
| 2. |  TallinnTallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... |
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport | 1,384,831 |
| 3. |  VilniusVilnius Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County... |
Vilnius International Airport Vilnius International Airport Vilnius International Airport is the largest civil airport in Lithuania. It is located south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It began operations in 1944. The old terminal was built in 1954.- History:... |
1,373,859 |
| 4. | Kaunas Kaunas Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation... |
Kaunas International Airport | 809,732 |
| 5. | Palanga Palanga Palanga and beautiful sand dunes. Officially Palanga has the status of a city municipality and includes Šventoji, Nemirseta, Būtingė and other settlements, which are considered as part of the city of Palanga.-Legend:... |
Palanga International Airport Palanga International Airport Palanga International Airport is an international airport located in the western part of Lithuania near the Baltic Sea. The airport focuses on servicing short and mid-range routes. The facility expansion completed in 2007 has made long-range route servicing a possibility. Since 1993, the number of... |
102,528 |
| 6 | | Tartu Tartu Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the... |
Tartu Airport Tartu Airport Tartu Airport is south southwest of the city centre of Tartu in Estonia, near the Tartu–Võru highway. It is also called Ülenurme Airport due to its proximity to the village of Ülenurme.... |
23,504 |
| 7. | Kuressaare Kuressaare Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706 Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,706... |
Kuressaare Airport Kuressaare Airport Kuressaare Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 3 km from the town of Kuressaare on Saaremaa island.The first runway was built in the last half of the 1930s. The airport was opened officially on 6 March 1945. The air traffic increased during the next years, and between... |
19,702 |
| 8. | Kärdla Kärdla Kärdla is the largest town on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa and the capital of Hiiu County.-Geography:Kärdla is located on the north-eastern coast of Hiiumaa, by the Gulf of Tareste . Southeast of the town is the Kärdla meteorite crater, which is 455 million years old.Several small rivers flow... |
Kärdla Airport Kärdla Airport Kärdla Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 7 km east of the town of Kärdla on Hiiumaa island.The airport has an asphalt runway of 1520 meters length and 30 meters width. The directions are 14 and 32. The runway was upgraded in 1998.Kärdla Airport opened in 1963... |
10,551 |
| 9. | Pärnu Pärnu Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga... |
Pärnu Airport Pärnu Airport Pärnu Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 4 km from the city of Pärnu.In October 1937 Pärnu town council designated an area of 0.28 km² for the building of an airport. Operations at the new airport began in 1939.... |
5,148 |