Ahead of the opening of its new base in Tampere, Finland, airBaltic has announced plans to add an eighth destination to the airport's repertoire. The Latvian flag carrier plans to serve Amsterdam twice a week from the Finnish airport, flying its modern Airbus A220s on the route. Let's take a closer look at its plans.

Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is one of Europe's major air hubs, with KLM's vast network connecting destinations all over the world through the facility. However, the city is also immensely popular as a destination in its own right, with tourists flocking there from all over Europe (and indeed the rest of the world).

At present, passengers looking to fly there from Tampere–Pirkkala Airport (TMP) in southern Finland would be faced with a connecting flight. Indeed, a quick look on Skyscanner shows that the optimum itinerary for such a journey requires a change in Riga. Such a trip would require two airBaltic flights, but not for much longer.

This is because, as communicated by the airline in a statement released today, it will shortly commence direct flights from Tampere to Amsterdam. Initially operating twice a week, the first of these non-stop services is set to take to the skies on Wednesday, June 1st. But how exactly do the times and costs work out?

airBaltic Airbus A220 Getty
Photo: Getty Images

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Two different rotations

A quick check of airBaltic's booking website shows that the all-Airbus A220 carrier plans to fly directly between Tampere and Amsterdam on Wednesdays and Sundays. The former of these will be an evening rotation, with the latter being a somewhat earlier affair. On Wednesdays, flight BT561 will leave Tampere at 17:00 local time, touching down after two-and-a-half hours at 18:30.

After a 70-minute turnaround, the return leg (BT562) will take to the skies at 19:40, arriving two hours and 20 minutes later at 23:00 local time. Meanwhile, the Sunday iteration of flight BT561 will leave Tampere at 07:30, enabling an 09:00 arrival in Amsterdam. The return leg will leave at 10:20, and touch down at 13:40. Commenting on the route's launch, CEO Martin Gauss stated:

"We aim to provide the best travel opportunities and connectivity with new destinations for our Finnish passengers. Therefore, we are excited to add the eighth destination from Tampere to one of the busiest European hubs."

Takeoff of milestone airBaltic A220
The airline will offer three different price categories on its Tampere-Amsterdam flights. Photo: Airbus

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Fare breakdown

Despite having a monopoly on direct traffic between Tampere and Amsterdam, airBaltic's prices on the route start off reasonably low. Indeed, the airline confirmed that tickets booked under its 'Green' tariff would cost as little as €59 ($64).

Meanwhile, 'Green Classic' tickets, which include checked baggage and the ability to pick a seat, will start at €115 ($124). As far as business class tickets are concerned, these will command fares starting at €449 ($484). Tampere will be airBaltic's fourth airport with a direct link to Amsterdam, alongside Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius.

What do you make of airBaltic's planned route from Tampere to Amsterdam? Have you flown with the carrier in recent months? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!