Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Ämari Air Base (EEEI) is Estonia's principal military airfield, sited in Harjumaa some 20 nautical miles southwest of Tallinn near Keila. Operated by the Estonian Defence Forces and used extensively by NATO for Baltic Air Policing, it offers a single very long, ILS-equipped runway and a history stretching back to Soviet naval aviation in the 1940s. For the simulator pilot it is a fascinating destination, combining a long Cold War pedigree with an active present-day role hosting Allied fighter detachments.
Ämari Air Base is a military airfield in Harjumaa, Estonia, operated by the Estonian Defence Forces and forming the country's only air base. It sits at the heart of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, having hosted numerous Allied fighter detachments since 2014, and is of particular interest to flight simulator pilots for its long, ILS-equipped runway and its role as a forward operating base for aircraft ranging from F-16s and F-22 Raptors to Eurofighter Typhoons.
The base lies in Harjumaa, Estonia, about 7 km south of Lake Klooga and roughly 20 nautical miles (37 km) southwest of Tallinn, close to the town of Keila. As an active military airfield it sits within airspace associated with Estonian Defence Force and NATO operations, and its facilities are guarded, with limited public access to the airfield environment.
Ämari has a single physical runway, 06/24, which is 8,993 feet long, of hard (asphalt/concrete) surface, lit, and equipped with an ILS. Field elevation is 62 feet.
An information frequency of 120.9 MHz is published for the field. The airfield is instrument-equipped, with an ILS serving the 06/24 runway.
Lake Klooga lies close by to the north of the airfield, and the town of Keila to the east provides a useful landmark for pilots orienting themselves toward the base from the Tallinn area.
Ämari's origins as an airfield site trace back to 1919, when a facility was established at nearby Lasnamäe, though the present base was built between 1940 and 1952 under an agreement between the Estonian SSR and the Soviet Union, opening in 1945. It began life as a Soviet Baltic Fleet naval reserve airfield, initially hosting Catalina PBY-5A amphibious seaplanes and Yak-9P escort fighters. Through the Cold War it was home to successive fighter and bomber regiments flying the MiG-17, MiG-21PFM, MiG-27, Su-7B and later Su-24 aircraft, and during the Vietnam War it served as a training base for Soviet pilots destined for North Vietnam and Arab air forces. Following the Soviet Union's dissolution, the Russian Air Force continued to administer the base until it was handed over to Estonia in 1996. The Estonian Air Force's Air Surveillance Wing was formed at Ämari in January 1998, and after Estonia joined NATO in 2004 the base was made NATO interoperable. Since April 2014 it has hosted NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, beginning with Royal Danish Air Force F-16s, and has since seen detachments including F-22 Raptors, and from 2023 RAF Eurofighter Typhoons of IX Squadron. The runway and airfield surfaces underwent a major renovation completed in 2024, part-funded by Luxembourg, with the base officially reopening on 8 November 2024 after the Baltic Air Policing mission was temporarily relocated to Lielvārde in Latvia during the works.
Ämari remains Estonia's only air base and one of the most modern in the Baltic region, supporting the deployment and operations of Allied fighter, transport and other NATO air units alongside the Estonian Air Force's own 1st Air Squadron and air surveillance and air defence units. Substantial infrastructure has been added in recent years, including new hangars, workshops, accommodation, a medical centre and fuel storage facilities, with a further construction phase completed in 2024-2025. As an active military installation, the base is closed to casual civilian access and prior permission is required for any visit.
