Tag Archives: airBaltic

airBaltic carries 53% more passengers in May 2023

During May 2023, the Latvian national airline airBaltic has carried 437,000 passengers or by 53% more than during the same period last year. In the previous month, airBaltic performed 4,180 flights, marking a 20% increase from May 2022.

As it has already been announced, during the tournament only (May 12 to 28, 2023), airBaltic carried 26,000 passengers between Latvia and Finland. It is by 42% more than for the same period in April. Specifically, 42 flights between Riga and Tampere, were performed (33 in April), carrying close to 12 000 passengers – marking a 73% increase from the previous (regular) month.

 May, 20231May, 20222Change
Number of passengers437 000284 700+53%
Number of flights4 1803 490+20%

airBaltic to overfly Riga and take home the Bronze Medal Hockey Team

Celebrating the historic success of the Latvian men’s ice-hockey team, by winning bronze medals at the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship, the Latvian national airline airBaltic will carry the team home.

When approaching Riga, the Airbus A220-300 aircraft, decorated in red-white-red colors of the Latvian flag, will perform and overflight – the aircraft is expected to be visible flying over the Monument of Freedom around 11:45 local time.

Photos: airBaltic.

airBaltic receives its 42nd Airbus A220-300 aircraft

On May 27, 2023, the Latvian national airline airBaltic welcomed its 42nd Airbus A220-300 jet, registered as YL-ABP, in Riga. This was the third Airbus A220-300 delivery for airBaltic in 2023. It is a part of the 50 Airbus A220-300 which airBaltic has ordered. In addition, airBaltic holds 30 options and purchase rights for the same aircraft type.

Thus far, airBaltic has carried more than 11,600,000 passengers on the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Airbus A220-300s of the airline have completed nearly 133 000 flights and flown over 289 000 block hours.

airBaltic adds extra flights from Riga to Hockey Championship in Tampere

Following the historic success of the Latvian men’s national ice-hockey team at the 2023 Ice Hockey Championship and the demand of fans, the Latvian airline airBaltic announces adding extra flights from Riga to Tampere on May 27, 28, 29. The ticket price is set to be EUR 75 one way or EUR 139 round-trip, and tickets are already available at www.airbaltic.com. The flight schedule is especially adjusted, so that fans do not necessarily have to book a hotel. Additional charter flights will be provided by the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation for May 27 and May 29.

Destination servedDate and Time
Riga–TampereMay 27, 2023 at 6:00
Tampere–RigaMay 27, 2023 at 23:00
Riga–TampereMay 28 at 8:00
Tampere–RigaMay 29 at 01:00

To apply for additional charter flights, provided by the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation from Riga to Tampere (May 27 at 11:00) and from Tampere to Riga (May 29 at 11:00), please, contact: eva@kasatravel.com.

The flight time from Riga to Tampere is 1 hour and 10 minutes.

airBaltic together with Airbus participates in A220 demo tour in Asia

airBaltic is participating in Airbus’ demonstration tour in Asia, showcasing its latest A220-300 aircraft to customers, international media, and other guests. During the tour, airBaltic’s A220-300 will visit a total of 4 destinations in the region. 

Thus far, airBaltic has carried more than 11 600 000 passengers on the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Airbus A220-300s have completed nearly 133 000 flights and flown over 289 000 block hours.

airBaltic to extend summer routes of Catania, Malta, Porto, Valencia into winter season

airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAR (msn 55053) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 960488.

airBaltic will be extending its summer season direct flight offerings from Riga to Catania (Italy), Malta, Porto (Italy), and Valencia (Spain) into the upcoming winter season, starting from the end of October 2023. Altogether, the airline is also launching 11 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere (Finland) for the winter season, bringing its network to around 80 routes connecting Riga and other cities in the region. This is the largest number of new routes in a winter season ever seen at airBaltic.

Valencia Spain Virgin Square Architecture with Sunrise; Shutterstock ID 558187123; purchase_order: Justine Ruda; job: BT New destinations for Web page; client: Licenced on 30.04.2021.

Flights to Catania will continue in November 2023 and resume again in March 2023, while flights to Malta, Porto, and Valencia will operate twice a week from November 2023. airBaltic takes passenger demand and preferences into consideration when selecting destinations, and these four locations have proven to be very popular as sunny leisure destinations.

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAR (msn 55053) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 960488.

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery:

airBaltic to add flights to Tenerife from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere

airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAV (msn 55071) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 960522.

airBaltic has announced that it will be expanding its direct flight offerings to Tenerife (Spain) beyond its home base in Riga to include the airline’s bases in Vilnius (Lithuania), Tallinn (Estonia), and Tampere (Finland). The twice-weekly flights will begin at the end of October 2023 as part of airBaltic’s 11 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere for the upcoming winter season.

Tenerife is a Spanish island located in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the Canary Islands archipelago. It is known for its warm climate, beautiful beaches, and stunning natural landscapes, including the Mount Teide National Park. Tenerife is a popular tourist destination, offering a wide range of activities such as water sports, hiking, and nightlife. It is also home to many resorts and hotels, making it a great place for both relaxation and adventure.

Destination servedFlight frequencyStart datePrice *,GREEN
Tallinn – Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyOctober 30, 2023225 €
Vilnius – Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyOctober 31, 2023215 €
Tampere – Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyNovember 1, 2023235 €

*Lowest fare (one-way), including taxes, fees and service charges, on www.airBaltic.com, subject to availability

As it has already been announced, airBaltic has published its flight schedule for the upcoming winter season. The airline is launching 11 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere (Finland), and will offer around 80 routes across its network to connect Riga and other cities in the region.

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAV (msn 55071) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 960522.

airBaltic airvcraft photo gallery:

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery

airBaltic to launch 11 new routes for this coming winter

airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAR (msn 55053) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 960488.

airBaltic has published its flight schedule for the upcoming winter season, starting from the end of October 2023. The airline is launching 11 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere (Finland), and will offer around 80 routes across its network to connect Riga and other cities in the region.

The first sales campaign of the new winter season destinations will begin on May 16.

Destination servedFlight frequencyStart datePrice *,GREEN
Riga–Agadir (Morocco)1 flight weeklyNovember 4, 2023169 €
Riga–Alicante (Spain)2 flights weeklyFebruary 26, 2024129 €
Tallinn–Tampere (Finland)–Amsterdam (the Netherlands)**7 flights weeklyOctober 29, 202365 €
Tallinn–Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyOctober 30, 2023225 €
Tallinn–Geneva (Switzerland)1 flight weeklyDecember 30, 2023115 €
Vilnius–Brussels (Belgium)4 flights weeklyOctober 30, 202399 €
Vilnius–Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyOctober 31, 2023215 €
Vilnius–Dubai (UAE)***2 flights weeklyNovember 1, 2023239 €
Vilnius–Turin (Italy)1 flight weeklyDecember 23, 2023109 €
Tampere–Tenerife (Spain)2 flights weeklyNovember 1, 2023235 €
Tampere–Kittila (Finland)**2 flights weeklyDecember 22, 202399 €

*Lowest fare (one-way), including taxes, fees and service charges.

**Tickets for these routes will be available on airBaltic website in the coming weeks.

***Subject to government approval. Tickets for these routes will be available on airBaltic website in the coming weeks.

In the upcoming winter season, airBaltic plans to add a total of 11 new routes – two from Riga, three from Tallinn, four from Vilnius, and two from Tampere.

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAR (msn 55053) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 960488.

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery:

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery

airBaltic reports its best first quarter in its history

airBaltic has started the year 2023 with positive key business indicators. airBaltic has achieved EUR 105.1 million revenue, which is by 75% more than in 2022, as well as the highest ever recorded revenue in the first quarter of a year in the airline’s history. Notably, the number of carried passengers soared by 77%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. The load factor reached 71.0%, marking an increase of 8.5 percentage points compared to 2019. Moreover, the positive dynamics trajectory of the airline’s business indicators has resulted to a significant reduction of the net result, reducing three-fold to EUR -11.4 million, compared to 2022, which is even better than the pre-pandemic Q1 2019.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “The first quarter of 2023 has surpassed our expectations, driving airBaltic towards strong commercial performance and sustained profitability. Our clear target and ambition are to achieve EUR 700 million in revenue and witness a substantial increase in carried passengers, reaching 4.4 million by the end of 2023.”

“Looking ahead to 2023, we continue the successful path towards IPO in 2024. Our core objectives remain unchanged – to ensure the best connectivity between the Baltics – one of the key European business centres of the future – and the world, as well as enhance the passenger experience and deliver a fundamental contribution to the economy,” Gauss added.

During the first three months of 2023, airBaltic has carried 770 thousand passengers or, as mentioned already before, by 77% more than during the same period last year. The total number of performed flights has increased by 47% – to 11.4 thousand. That includes also 100 flights of short-term wet leased-in aircraft.

PositionJan-Mar 2023Jan-Mar 2022ChangeJan-Mar 2019Change
RevenueEUR 105.1 millionEUR 60.1 million75%EUR 75.6 million39%
Net result (loss)(EUR 11.4 million)(EUR 37.4 million)EUR 26 million(EUR 30.9 million)EUR 19.5 million
Passengers770 thousand435 thousand 77%818 thousand  (6%)
Total Flights11.4 thousand7.7 thousand47% 12.8 thousand(11%)
Load factor 71.0%53.4% 17.5pp 62.5%8.5pp 

airBaltic carries 35% more passengers in April 2023

During April 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic carried 330 000 passengers or by 35% more than during the same period last year. In the previous month, airBaltic performed 3 260 flights, marking a 3% increase from April 2022.

April, 2023April, 2022Change
Number of passengers330 000244 000+35%
Number of flights3 2603 150+3%

airBaltic provides flights to more than 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline’s route network in Europe, 

airBaltic launches flights to Bucharest, Porto, Burgas, Bilbao and Tivat

airBaltic this week is launching direct flights between five new destinations: Riga–Bucharest (Romania), Riga–Porto (Portugal), Riga–Burgas (Bulgaria), Riga–Bilbao (Spain), and Riga–Tivat (Montenegro).

Destination servedFlight frequencyStart datePrice *,GREEN
Riga – Bucharest (Romania)3 flights weeklyMay 1, 202379 EUR
Riga – Porto (Portugal)2 flights weeklyMay 1, 2023149 EUR
Riga – Burgas (Bulgaria)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 202399 EUR
Riga – Bilbao (Spain)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 2023149 EUR
Riga – Tivat (Montenegro)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 202389 EUR

*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charge.

Flights between Riga and Bucharest are scheduled to take 2 hours and 30 minutes, Riga and Porto 4 hours and 25 minutes, Riga and Burgas 2 hours and 40 minutes, Riga and Bilbao 3 hours and 50 minutes, and Riga and Tivat 2 hours and 40 minutes.

During the summer season 2023, airBaltic will offer 20 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere. This is the largest number of new routes in a single season provided by airBaltic.

airBaltic and Turkish Airlines start codeshare cooperation

airBaltic and the national flag carrier of Türkiye – Turkish Airlines – jointly announce the commencement of a codeshare partnership, effective as of May 1, 2023. The agreement enables both carriers to provide more flexibility to their passengers on direct flights between Türkiye and Latvia.

Within the scope of the codeshare cooperation, airBaltic and Turkish Airlines place their marketing flight numbers on each Riga-Istanbul flight and vice versa. The codeshare agreement attracts an increasing number of passengers and allows customers of both carriers to benefit from seamless connectivityvia their hubs. 

As announced previously, this summer season airBaltic will launch its highest-ever number of new routes in a single season so far – a total of 20 new routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Tampere. Among the new destinations is also Istanbul, to which airBaltic launched four weekly flights on April 2, 2023.

airBaltic receives its 41st Airbus A220-300

On April 29, 2023, the Latvian national airline airBaltic welcomed its 41st Airbus A220-300 jet, registered as YL-ABO, in Riga. This was the second Airbus A220-300 delivery for airBaltic in 2023. It is a part of the 50 Airbus A220-300 which airBaltic has ordered. In addition, airBaltic holds 30 options and purchase rights for the same aircraft type.

Thus far, airBaltic has carried approximately 11,260,000 passengers on the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Airbus A220-300s of the airline have completed more than 130 000 flights and flown over 280 000 block hours.

Since May 2020, airBaltic operates all its flights with a single aircraft type – Airbus A220-300, thus minimizing the complexity and benefiting from the additional efficiency provided by the aircraft.

airBaltic adds its 40th Airbus A220-300, second painted in the Latvian national flag

airBaltic presented its 40th Airbus A220-300 aircraft (registration No. YL-ABN), which is already the second aircraft in the fleet painted in the colors of the Latvian national flag.

A special highlight of the event was the launch of airBaltic’s cooperation with the XXVII Nationwide Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival, as airBaltic becomes the festival’s official airline and carrier. The event was attended by around 500 people, including employees of the company and the airport, partners, friends as well as Latvian and foreign officials.

This summer, the Song and Dance Festival will take place from June 30 to July 9, 2023 in Riga, highlighting the 150th anniversary of the tradition. The program of the festival includes more than 60 events and concerts in many locations and venues in Riga. Preparing for the major event are around 1 700 groups of participants in Latvia and abroad, including airBaltic employees as singers, dancers, and musicians, representing nearly 50 groups of participants. To learn more about the festival, please visit https://www.dziesmusvetki.lv.

YL-ABN is the first A220-300 aircraft delivered to airBaltic in 2023. This year, it is expected to receive seven more new aircraft, but the airline has ordered 50 aircraft of this type in total. Since May 2020, airBaltic has only been using A220-300 aircraft. This decision simplifies fleet maintenance as well as brings additional benefits to the efficiency of the aircraft.

Thus far, airBaltic has carried nearly 11 260 000 passengers on the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Airbus A220-300s of the airline have completed more than 130 000 flights and flown over 280 000 block hours

airBaltic launches flights to Hannover

airBaltic on April 15 launched direct flights between Riga and Hannover (Germany). airBaltic now connects both cities with two weekly flights.

Hannover

Hannover is a vibrant and dynamic city in northern Germany, known for its rich history, beautiful gardens, and impressive architecture. Located on the banks of the Leine River, Hannover is the capital of the Lower Saxony region and boasts a thriving cultural scene with lots of museums and historic sites, as well as excellent shopping and dining options.

Destination servedFlight frequencyStart datePrice *,GREENPrice*,Business Light
Riga – Hannover2 flights weeklyApril 15, 202369 EUR259 EUR

*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charges

Flights between Riga and Hannover are scheduled to take 1 hour and 55 minutes.

airBaltic carries 80% more passengers in March 2023

During March 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic carried 289,600 passengers or by 80% more than during the same period last year. In the previous month, airBaltic performed 3,100 flights, marking a 30% increase from March 2022.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “We are pleased to see a significant increase in passenger numbers during March and we are delighted that more and more people are choosing airBaltic as their preferred airline. As airBaltic has opened 20 new routes from all its four bases, we anticipate even higher passenger increase during the summer season.”

 March, 20231March, 20222Change
Number of passengers289 600161 100+80%
Number of flights3 1002 380+30%

airBaltic achieves record revenue of EUR 104 million in first quarter of 2023

airBaltic has started the year 2023 with positive business indicators. airBaltic has achieved EUR 104.3 million revenue, which is by 74% more than in 2022, as well as the highest ever recorded revenue in the first quarter of a year in the airline’s history. At the same time, the carried passenger number was 77% above the first quarter 2022.

During the first three months of 2023, airBaltic has carried 769.6 thousand passengers or, as mentioned already before, by 77% more than during the same period last year. The total number of performed flights has increased by 28% – to 8.70 thousand. That includes also 94 flights of a short-term wet leased aircraft of other airlines.

Jan-Mar 2023Jan-Mar 2022Change %
Revenue104.3 million 59.9 million74% 
Passengers769.6 thousand434.7 thousand 77%
Flights8.70 thousand6.79 thousand28% 
Load factor 70.9%53.4% 17.5pp 

airBaltic provides flights to more than 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline’s route network in Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

airBaltic launches summer season with 20 new destinations

airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-ABH (msn 55162) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 960288.

airBaltic has announced the launch of the summer season 2023, offering 20 new destinations in total from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere.

This is the historically largest number of new routes the airline has ever announced in a single season. The first flight of it departed from Riga to Istanbul today, on April 2, 2023.

Destination servedFlight frequencyStart datePrice *,GREEN
Riga – Istanbul (Turkey)4 flights weeklyApril 2, 2023179 EUR
Riga – Hannover (Germany)2 flights weeklyApril 15, 202369 EUR
Riga – Bucharest (Romania)3 flights weeklyMay 1, 202379 EUR
Riga – Porto (Portugal)2 flights weeklyMay 1, 2023149 EUR
Riga – Burgas (Bulgaria)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 202399 EUR
Riga – Bilbao (Spain)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 2023149 EUR
Riga – Tivat (Montenegro)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 202389 EUR
Riga – Yerevan (Armenia)2 flights weeklyMay 16, 2023129 EUR
Riga – Belgrade (Serbia)2 flights weeklyMay 16, 202379 EUR
Riga – Baku (Azerbaijan)2 flights weeklyMay 17, 2023149 EUR
Tallinn – Split (Croatia)2 flights weeklyMay 1, 2023109 EUR
Tallinn – Rhodes (Greece)2 flights weeklyMay 1, 2023119 EUR
Tallinn – Dubrovnik (Croatia)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 2023109 EUR
Tallinn – Heraklion (Greece)2 flights weeklyMay 3, 2023119 EUR
Vilnius – Malaga (Spain)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 2023109 EUR
Vilnius – Palma de Mallorca (Spain)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 2023109 EUR
Vilnius – Nice (France)2 flights weeklyMay 3, 202379 EUR
Vilnius – Heraklion (Greece)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 202399 EUR
Tampere – Nice (France)2 flights weeklyMay 2, 202399 EUR
Tampere – Milan (Italy)2 flights weeklyMay 4, 202379 EUR

*Lowest fare (one-way), including taxes, fees and service charges, on www.airBaltic.com, subject to availability

airBaltic provides flights to more than 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere.

Route Map:

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-ABH (msn 55162) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 960288.

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery:

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery

airBaltic and TAROM extend codeshare agreement

airBaltic and the Romanian national air transport company TAROM have extended a codeshare partnership starting from May 1, following the new direct route Riga-Bucharest opening by airBaltic.

Photo: airBalticAROM

This will provide passengers with new advantages – to connect each other networks via partner hubs Riga and Bucharest, and increased flexibility and seamless connections between both airline networks. airBaltic customers will benefit from increased frequency of flights to their desired destinations in the region (Budapest, Sofia and Chisinau), while Tarom passengers will have seamless connectivity to the Baltics and beyond to other airBaltic destinations.

airBaltic to temporarily wet-lease additional aircraft for early summer season

airBaltic announces that in the period of March 27 and May 31, 2023 it will temporarily wet-lease additional aircraft short-term. Such conditions have arisen as a result of the manufacturer’s inability to fulfill the obligations of engine maintenance in a timely manner. To meet the increasing passenger demand and to ensure a successful performance of planned flights without cancellations, also the aircraft of XFly (Bombardier CRJ-900NG – 88 seats), Danish Air Transport-DAT (Airbus A320-232 – 180 seats), Carpatair (Airbus A319-100 – 150 seats), and Cyprus Airways (Airbus A320-232 – 180 seats) will operate flights of airBaltic.

As reported previously, airBaltic has also established a partnership with Avion Express, adding four Airbus A320-232 aircraft of 180 seats to the fleet of airBaltic for the summer season 2023.

Prior to the partnership agreement, airBaltic has conducted full volume technical and quality inspections of all the aircraft to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Important to emphasize that airBaltic cooperates only with airlines that are certified in accordance with the European Aviation Safety requirements. The average age of the specific aircraft is 12 years. Furthermore, the crew of wet-lease carriers has been instructed to detail, in order to ensure the same high standard of service as airBaltic. 

To fulfill its contractual obligations and follow the business plan, at the same time airBaltic will continue to lease out 14 of its aircraft to other airlines, during the summer season 2023.

airBaltic provides flights to more than 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline’s route network in Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.