Tampere-Pirkkala Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
nativename = Tampere–Pirkkalan lentoasema
nativename-a =
nativename-r =

---

image-width =
caption =
IATA = TMP
ICAO = EFTP
type = Public / Military
owner =
operator = Finavia / Finnish Air Force
city-served = Tampere, Finland
location = Pirkkala, Finland
elevation-f = 390
elevation-m = 119
coordinates = coord|61|24|50|N|023|36|15|E|type:airport_region:FI
website =
metric-rwy = y
r1-number = 06/24
r1-length-f = 8,858
r1-length-m = 2,700
r1-surface = Asphalt
footnotes = Source: DAFIFWAD|EFTP|source=DAFIF] GCM|TMP|source=DAFIF]

Tampere-Pirkkala Airport Airport codes|TMP|EFTP, located in Pirkkala, some 17 kilometres south-west from the city of Tampere, is the third busiest airport and the second busiest international airport in Finland. 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.

There are two terminals in Tampere-Pirkkala. Low-cost carrier Ryanair uses Terminal 2 and the other airlines use the main terminal (Terminal 1). Tampere-Pirkkala is connected to Helsinki, Turku, Oulu, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London Stansted, Milan, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dublin, Bremen and Riga. A previous route to Liverpool has been stopped.

Tampere-Pirkkala also home to the Satakunta Air Command base of the Finnish Air Force, with F-18 Hornets stationed there.

History

Tampere Airport was founded in 1936 in Härmälä (a district in Tampere) located some 6 kilometres from the centre of Tampere. At that time Härmälä airport was connected to Helsinki, Vaasa, Oulu and Kemi by Aero Oy (a precursor of Finnair). The first terminal building was built in 1941.

Veljekset Karhumäki (an airline, in English "Karhumäki Brothers", later known as Karhumäki Airways and Kar-Air) 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.

Airlines and destinations

Terminal 1

*airBaltic (Riga)
*Blue1 (Stockholm-Arlanda)
*Finncomm Airlines (Helsinki, Kittilä)
*Scandinavian Airlines System (Copenhagen)
*Wingo xprs (Turku, Oulu)

Terminal 2

* Ryanair (Bremen, Dublin, Frankfurt-Hahn, London-Stansted, Milan-Orio, Riga)

Getting there

Buses

A local bus company, Paunu, operates bus number 61 between Pyynikintori square in the centre of Tampere and Terminal 1 at Tampere-Pirkkala airport. The buses run roughly once an hour on weekdays and less frequently at weekends. There are bus stops at Keskustori (the city's central square), at Koskipuisto park, and outside the bus station. The bus will stop at other marked bus stops along the route. Routes between the city and airport vary between departures. The ride takes about 40 minutes and costs €4.00 one way for adults and €2.00 one way for children aged under 12. Timetables for bus 61 are available at [http://www.paunu.fi/english.html Paunu's website] .

Tokee operates buses for Ryanair flights. They run between Tampere railway station and Terminal 2. The ride takes about 30 minutes and costs €6 per passenger.

Mobus operates buses for Ryanair's flights that run between Rautatientori (Railway square) in the centre of Helsinki and Terminal 2. The ride takes about 2.5 hours and costs €25 per passenger. The bus makes stops at motorway junctions in Vantaa, Hyvinkää and Riihimäki and outside the bus station in Hämeenlinna.

Airpro Oy publishes [http://www.airpro.fi/ryanair_linjaautojenaikataulut timetables] for Mobus' and Tokee's buses. The page is unfortunately only available in Finnish at the time of writing, though the timetable itself is in both Finnish and English.

Taxi

Taxis in the Tampere region, comprising the municipalities of Tampere, Pirkkala, Nokia, Lempäälä, Kangasala and Ylöjärvi, are operated by [http://www.taksitampere.fi Tampereen Aluetaksi Oy] (Tampere Area Local Cab Ltd). The number to call a cab from a landline is 10041. (This number will direct you to your local taxi operator depending on your location.) To call a cab from a mobile phone, dial 0100 4131. It is possible to book a cab a minimum of 30 minutes in advance; however, an advance booking surcharge of €5.50 applies. A typical cab ride between the airport and city center costs €25-40, depending on traffic and number of passengers.

It is also possible to take an airport taxi between the centre of Tampere and Tampere-Pirkkala airport. The one-way fare is €25-30 for one person and travel time is about 20 minutes. To book an airport taxi, use the contact numbers listed above. If you're calling from a landline outside the Tampere taxi region, use the number for mobile phones (0100 4131).

There are taxi ranks outside both terminals. You will typically be able to find a cab after scheduled flights.

References

External links

* [http://www.finavia.fi/airport_tampere-pirkkala? Tampere-Pirkkala Airport official site (English)]
* [http://www.airpro.fi/ryanair Airpro's Ryanair page (Finnish only)]
* [http://www.paunu.fi/english.html Paunu (partially translated into English)] . Timetables and info.
* [http://www.taksitampere.fi/booktaxi.html Tampere regional taxi company (partially translated into English)] . See [http://www.taksitampere.fi/taxiservices.html Taxiservices] for explanation of fares.
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