Transport on the Åland Islands
Encyclopedia
Åland is an archipelago
of over 6,000 island
s in the Baltic Sea
. Constitutionally, it is a Swedish
-speaking autonomous province
of Finland
. Sea travel is a vital part of Åland's economy and a major local employer. The main ports are located at the capital Mariehamn
, at Berghamn and at Långnäs
on the east shore of Fasta Åland (the main island).
operates flights from Mariehamn Airport
to both Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
. Also Turku Air flies to Turku
three times a week with a Piper PA-31 Navajo.
The islands have quiet roads which are much appreciated by cyclists. There are no railways on Åland, but there are Ålandstrafiken
local bus services operating in conjunction with the inter-island ferries.
Road vehicles registered in Åland have number plates
with blue lettering starting ÅL:
, Viking Line
and Tallink
ferries operating between Helsinki
, Turku
or Tallinn
and Stockholm
call briefly at Åland, at either Mariehamn or Långnäs. As well as providing useful transport links, this also permits the sale of duty-free alcohol etc. on board the ships. This is due to Åland's special constititional status and exemption from normal European Union
rules on Value Added Tax
and other tariffs, negotiated by Finland as part of talks leading to membership of the EU in 1995. Vessels must call at an Åland port to qualify.
A network of ferries operated by Ålandstrafiken
provide inter-island services (and links with Galtby and Osnäs ferry harbours in Finland).
Eckerö Linjen
operates a ferry service between Berghamn port in Eckerö
, Åland and Grisslehamn port in Norrtälje
, Sweden.
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of over 6,000 island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Constitutionally, it is a Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
-speaking autonomous province
Provinces of Finland
The state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Sea travel is a vital part of Åland's economy and a major local employer. The main ports are located at the capital Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
, at Berghamn and at Långnäs
Långnäs
Långnäs is a port in Lumparland on the eastern mainland of Åland. Road ferries to Kumlinge and Galtby via Kökar start here. In the early 1960s, Silja Line built a ferry terminal in Långnäs, designed by architect Bengt Lundsten. The terminal was in use 1965-1975 and was then closed and removed in...
on the east shore of Fasta Åland (the main island).
Air
Air ÅlandAir Åland
Air Åland AB is the provincial airline of Åland, with its head office on the grounds of Mariehamn Airport in Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. It operates scheduled services from Åland to Helsinki and Stockholm. Its main base is Mariehamn Airport..- History :...
operates flights from Mariehamn Airport
Mariehamn Airport
Mariehamn Airport is located in Jomala, Åland, Finland, some north-west of Mariehamn town centre. It served 48,672 passengers in 2010 and is operated by the state owned Finavia....
to both Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
Stockholm Arlanda Airport , is an international airport located in the Sigtuna Municipality of Sweden, near the town of Märsta, north of Stockholm and nearly , by road, south-east of Uppsala....
. Also Turku Air flies to Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
three times a week with a Piper PA-31 Navajo.
Roads
Ålandstrafiken
Ålandstrafiken is a ferry company based in the Åland Islands, an archipelago of over 6,500 islands in the Baltic Sea and a Swedish-speaking autonomous province of Finland. The company operates inter-island services as well as links to ports in western Finland. It also operates local buses.-External...
local bus services operating in conjunction with the inter-island ferries.
Road vehicles registered in Åland have number plates
Finnish car number plates
Finnish car number plates usually carry three letters and three numbers separated with a dash, though vanity plates may carry just one of each. Since 1989 the code has no connection with the geographic location, except that Åland has its own type of plate...
with blue lettering starting ÅL:
| ÅLA-123 |
Sea
The Silja LineSilja Line
Silja Line is a Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company AS Tallink Grupp, for car and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden. The former company Silja Oy – today Tallink Silja Oy – is a subsidiary of Tallink Grupp, handling marketing and sales for Tallink and Silja...
, Viking Line
Viking Line
Viking Line is a Finnish shipping company that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between Finland, the Åland Islands, Sweden and Estonia. Viking Line shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange...
and Tallink
Tallink
Tallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany. They also own Silja Line and a part of SeaRail...
ferries operating between Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
or Tallinn
Tallinn
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...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
call briefly at Åland, at either Mariehamn or Långnäs. As well as providing useful transport links, this also permits the sale of duty-free alcohol etc. on board the ships. This is due to Åland's special constititional status and exemption from normal European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
rules on Value Added Tax
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
and other tariffs, negotiated by Finland as part of talks leading to membership of the EU in 1995. Vessels must call at an Åland port to qualify.
A network of ferries operated by Ålandstrafiken
Ålandstrafiken
Ålandstrafiken is a ferry company based in the Åland Islands, an archipelago of over 6,500 islands in the Baltic Sea and a Swedish-speaking autonomous province of Finland. The company operates inter-island services as well as links to ports in western Finland. It also operates local buses.-External...
provide inter-island services (and links with Galtby and Osnäs ferry harbours in Finland).
Eckerö Linjen
Eckerö Linjen
Eckerö Linjen is a Finnish shipping company operating a ferry between Eckerö in the Åland Islands and Grisslehamn in Sweden. The company is owned by the Åland based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö...
operates a ferry service between Berghamn port in Eckerö
Eckerö
Eckerö is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, Åland and Grisslehamn port in Norrtälje
Norrtälje
Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010.- History :Norrtälje traces its history to 1219, when the location was first mentioned as Tälje. After some time, the name officially became Norrtälje, to separate it from the...
, Sweden.