The number of passengers on European low-cost carriers has increased from less than 20 million in 2000 to around 170 million passengers in 2009. At such a scale, low-cost aviation not only moves millions of people and Euros around; it affects social life, patterns of mobility and the environment. It has also become one of the most important forces behind regional tourism development, not the least in rural areas to which new low-cost connections have opened. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, the increase in the number of low-cost connections has been particularly high East Central Europe, including the Baltic States.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the development of low-cost aviation in the Baltic Sea Area. It is based on a quantitative study in which timetables (2000-2009) is the main empirical material. From this material, it is possible to calculate the number of seats flown on the different connections from the airports in the area. The development of networks of flows in the area is thus presented through a number of time series. (For a description of this method, see Nilsson, J H (2003)Östersjöområdet. Studier av interaktion och barriärer. Lund).

This study is expected to give a clear picture of the combined effects of deregulation and the introduction of low-cost aviation in the Baltic Sea Area in 2000-2009. This development will be further analysed with emphasis on the role of low-cost aviation for tourism development. The wider aspects of low-cost aviation on other mobilities, such as temporary migration, will also be discussed, although more briefly.