Editing Tallinn Airport (section)

=== Early development ===
Prior to the establishment of the present airport in Ülemiste area, [[Lasnamäe Airfield]] was the primary airport of Tallinn, serving as a base for [[Aeronaut (airline)|Aeronaut]] airline. After Aeronaut went bankrupt in 1928, air service was continued by [[Deruluft]], which used [[Nehatu, Harju County|Nehatu]] instead, {{convert|12|km|abbr=on}} from the centre of Tallinn. The first seaplane harbour on the shores of [[Lake Ülemiste]] was built 1928 to 1929 in order to serve Finnish [[seaplane]]s. The use of this harbour ended in [[World War II]]. On 26 March 1929 [[Riigikogu]] passed an expropriation act in order to establish a public airport. {{Convert|10|ha|abbr=on}} of land was expropriated from Dvigatel joint-stock company and another {{Convert|22|ha|abbr=on}} was expropriated from descendants of Vagner. 10 million [[Estonian kroon#First kroon, 1928–1940|sents]] were paid to land-owners as indemnity. Land leveling and renovation works took another 5 million sents.<ref name="Eesti Päevaleht" />

[[File:Ülemiste lennujaam (AM N 5631-681); Eesti Ajaloomuuseum.jpg|thumb|left|A floatplane version of [[Junkers Ju 52|Ju 52/3m]] (''[[Kaleva (airplane)|Kaleva]] OH-ALL'') of [[Finnair|Aero O/Y]] by the lakeside ramp of Tallinn Airport (1936)]]
The building of Tallinn Airport started on 16 November 1931, and the first test landing was commenced by captain Reissar piloting [[Estonian Air Force]] [[Avro Avian|Avro 594 Avian]], tail number 120.<ref name="Story of Lasnamäe">{{cite web |url=http://jaakjuske.blogspot.de/2014/01/lasnamae-unustatud-sojavaelennuvalja.html |title=Lasnamäe unustatud sõjaväelennuvälja lugu |first=Jaak |last=Juske |work=jaakjuske.blogspot.com |date=25 January 2014 |access-date=17 June 2016 |language=et}}</ref> The airport was opened officially on 20 September 1936,<ref name="tll-opening">{{cite web|title=Tallinn Airport marks 80 years of operations at Ülemiste|url=https://www.tallinn-airport.ee/en/news/tallinn-airport-marks-80-years-operations-ulemiste/|date=20 September 2016|access-date=9 July 2023|website=Tallinn Airport}}</ref> although it had been operational a good while before the official opening - [[LOT Polish Airlines]], which commenced its first passenger flight from Tallinn on 18 August 1932 with [[Fokker F.VII|Fokker F.VIIb/3m]] from Lasnamäe Airfield,<ref name="tallinn-airport.ee">{{cite web |title=Poola lennukompanii LOT avas Tallinn-Riia-Varssavi liini |url=http://www.tallinn-airport.ee/tallinna-lennujaam-80/poola-lennukompanii-lot-avas-tallinn-riia-varssavi-liini/ |access-date=17 June 2013 |language=et}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first= Riina |last=Luik |url=http://reis.postimees.ee/957668/tallinnast-varssavi-80-aastat-jaerjest |title=Tallinnast Varssavi 80 aastat järjest |newspaper=Postimees Reis |publisher=Postimees |date=31 August 2012 |access-date=14 November 2016 |language=et}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= 19 August 1932  |title= Esimene lend Warssawi. |url= http://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=is&oid=postimeesew19320819&type=staticpdf |newspaper= Postimees |location= Tartu, Estonia|language=et |number= 193 |page = 1|access-date= 14 November 2016}}</ref> later relocated the flights to Tallinn Airport and in 1935 the airport had 6 arrivals and departures on average every day. In April 1935 a ramp for seaplanes was built on a shore of Lake Ülemiste, together with a small arch bridge and a customs office, which allowed seaplanes to be relocated from a sea port. The same year the airport administration building was erected, which also served initially as a waiting place for travellers. The total cost of the whole airport project, including the cost of building flight hangars, was 25 million sents.<ref name="Eesti Päevaleht" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Tallinna Lennujaam&nbsp;– Huvitavaid fakte Tallinna lennujaamast |url=http://www.tallinn-airport.ee/aboutcompany/huvitavaidfaktetallinnalennujaamast |access-date=9 January 2013 |language=et |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225175832/https://www.tallinn-airport.ee/aboutcompany/huvitavaidfaktetallinnalennujaamast |archive-date=25 December 2012  }}</ref>

As the very first runways had soft surface, it made them unavailable for takeoffs and landings during spring and autumn seasons. Therefore, only seaplanes stationed at Lake Ülemiste were able to carry out flights, and during winter months, it was possible to use the frozen surface of the lake as a runway for small airplanes. The concrete paved runways of the first stage, inaugurated together with the opening of the airport, were about {{Convert|40|m|abbr=}} wide and {{Convert|300|m|abbr=}} long. As they were arranged in a form of a triangle,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reisiajakiri.gomaailm.ee/tallinna-lennujaam-75-vesilennukite-kaist-aasia-lendude-hubiks/ |title=Tallinna Lennujaam 75: Vesilennukite kaist Aasia lendude hub'iks |first=Martin |last=Hanson |publisher=gomaailm.ee |access-date=9 January 2013 |language=et |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103602/http://reisiajakiri.gomaailm.ee/tallinna-lennujaam-75-vesilennukite-kaist-aasia-lendude-hubiks/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> they allowed takeoffs and landings in six directions. These were the first concrete-paved runway in Estonia, it was needed some {{Convert|5396|m3|abbr=}} of stone, {{Convert|4100|m3|4=-2|abbr=}} of [[construction aggregate]] and {{Convert|137|t|abbr=on}} of cement to construct them.

[[File:Ülemiste lennujaam (AM N 5631-682); Eesti Ajaloomuuseum.jpg|thumb|[[LOT Polish Airlines|LOT]] [[Lockheed Model 10A Electra]] in front of a flight hangar at Tallinn Airport in the 1930s]]
In addition, {{Convert|3|km|abbr=on}} of pipeworks was laid for drainage purposes.<ref name="Story of Lasnamäe" /> Before [[World War II]], Tallinn Airport had regular connections to abroad by at least [[Aerotransport]] (now part of the [[SAS Group]]),<ref name="Eesti Päevaleht">{{cite news |title=70-aastane Tallinna lennujaam alustas Ida-Euroopa suurimana |first=Ardo |last=Kaljuvee |url=http://www.epl.ee/news/kultuur/70-aastane-tallinna-lennujaam-alustas-ida-euroopa-suurimana.d?id=51058422 |publisher=epl.ee |date=30 September 2006 |access-date=9 January 2013 |language=et}}</ref> [[Deutsche Luft Hansa]], LOT and the Finnish company [[Aero O/Y#History|Aero]] (now [[Finnair]]). On 5 April 1937 the [[Helsinki-Malmi Airport|Helsinki]]-Tallinn-[[Warsaw Chopin Airport|Warsaw]]-[[Atarot Airport|Jerusalem]] route was inaugurated by Mr. Bobkowski, the assistant of the Polish Minister of Transport. The length of the route was {{convert|3187|km|nmi|adj=on}} and the journey time was 34 hours.<ref>{{cite news |date= 6 April 1937  |title= Lennuühendus Tallinn – Palestiina Awati esmaspäewal |url= http://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=is&oid=postimeesew19370406&type=staticpdf |newspaper= Postimees |location= Tartu, Estonia|language=et |number= 92 |page = 3|access-date= 25 May 2016}}</ref> Passengers and cargo numbers grew quickly, from 4,100 passengers and {{Convert|6730|kg|4=0|abbr=on}} of cargo in 1933 to 11,892 passengers and {{Convert|14726|kg|abbr=on}} of cargo in 1937.<ref>{{cite news |date= 27 November 1938  |title= Eestile oma lennuliinid. |url= http://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=is&oid=uuseesti19381127&type=staticpdf |newspaper= Uus Eesti |location= Tallinn, Estonia |language=et |number= 325 |page = 5|access-date= 17 June 2016}}</ref> Preparation and design works for a new passenger terminal started in 1938. 14 various projects were submitted for the architectural contest of the new terminal building, with the one from the architect Artur Jürvetson winning the contest in February the same year. The construction costs were estimated at 300 thousand [[Estonian kroon#First kroon.2C 1928.E2.80.931940|Estonian kroons]]. The first airplane of then the flag carrier of Estonia, AGO, arrived at Tallinn Airport on 5 October 1939, flying the route [[Dessau]] - [[Königsberg]] - Tallinn.<ref name="tallinn-airport.ee"/>

As Estonia was occupied by Soviet Union, on 22 July 1940 the order was made by Soviet occupation authorities to transfer the airport to [[Soviet Air Forces]]. All aircraft, which were at the airport at that time, including interned Polish [[Lockheed 14]], two [[Junkers Ju 52]] of AGO and [[PTO-4]] trainer aircraft of Estonian Airclub, were relocated to Lasnamäe Airfield.

During the [[German occupation of Estonia during World War II|German occupation]], regular international connections were announced on 16 October and already restored on 15 November 1941, when Deutsche Lufthansa and Aero O/Y started the route Helsinki-Tallinn-[[Spilve Airport|Riga]]-Königsberg-[[Berlin Tempelhof Airport|Berlin]].<ref>{{cite news |date= 16 October 1941 |title= Lennuühendus Helsingi-Berliin |url= http://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=is&oid=jarvateatajaew19411016&type=staticpdf |newspaper= Järva Teataja |location= Paide, Estonia |language=et |number= 20 |page = 2|access-date= 4 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Tallinnal lennuühendus Berliiniga |newspaper= Linnaleht |location= Tallinn, Estonia |date= 16 November 1941 |page = 1}}</ref> From 1942 to 1944 ''Sonderstaffel Buschmann'' was based at Tallinn Airport.<ref name="Story of Lasnamäe" />