AirBaltic welcomes its 45th Airbus A220 jet

The Latvian carrier airBaltic has welcomed a new state-of-the-art Airbus Aircraft A220-300 to its fleet this week.  The jet, registered YL-ABS is the 45th beautiful addition to the airline's single-type fleet. Thus far the airline has carried 13 441 000 passengers, completed over 150 000 flights, and flown 328 000 block hours on the type.  

airBaltic is looking forward to an exciting future by continuing to grow with Airbus, the recent purchase agreement for an additional 30 aircraft is a significant step toward this. 

 

airBaltic orders more Airbus A220 jets

airBaltic will become the largest A220 customer in Europe after confirming an incremental order for an additional 30 A220-300s. This new order will take the airline’s total firm orderbook to 80 aircraft.

Already operating a 44 strong fleet of A220-300s, airBaltic is currently the largest A220-300 operator in the world. 

The airline’s history with the Airbus A220-300 dates back to 2016 where it was the launch customer, and in 2020, it refreshed its fleet to solely operate this aircraft type.

"This day marks a significant milestone in the history of airBaltic – our plans for the first time ever to operate a fleet of 100 aircraft by 2030. For almost seven years already, the Airbus A220-300 has been the backbone of our operations and has played an integral role in the international success story of airBaltic”, said Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic. “Being the global launch customer of the Airbus A220-300, we continue to be a proud ambassador of it. We are grateful to our partners at Airbus for the incredible support, trust, and collaboration over these years.”

"Thank you to airBaltic for being such an ambassador for the A220 with this repeat order. The A220 has been the instrument for airBaltic in its success and growth thus far and we are particularly proud to be extending this partnership well into the future with this latest order”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. “The A220 offers a unique capability in terms of range, performance, and not to forget, passenger appeal. It is a gamechanger for our customers in this important market segment, which we are serving with less fuel-burn, lower emissions and noise, making the A220 a global citizen of choice.”

 

The A220-300 is the most modern airliner in its size category, carrying between 120 to 150 passengers on flights of up to 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km). The aircraft offers 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. It also has the largest cabin, seats and windows in its class, ensuring superior comfort.

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with 100% SAF by 2030. 

As at the end of October, Airbus won close to 820 orders from around 30 customers for the A220, of which more than 295 have been delivered, including 50 deliveries so far in 2023. The A220 is already in successful service with 17 airlines worldwide on 1,350+ routes.

airBaltic orders 30 more A220 jets......

airBaltic will become the largest A220 customer in Europe after confirming an incremental order for an additional 30 A220-300s. This new order will take the airline’s total firm orderbook to 80 aircraft.

Already operating a 44 strong fleet of A220-300s, airBaltic is currently the largest A220-300 operator in the world. 

The airline’s history with the Airbus A220-300 dates back to 2016 where it was the launch customer, and in 2020, it refreshed its fleet to solely operate this aircraft type.

"This day marks a significant milestone in the history of airBaltic – our plans for the first time ever to operate a fleet of 100 aircraft by 2030. For almost seven years already, the Airbus A220-300 has been the backbone of our operations and has played an integral role in the international success story of airBaltic”, said Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic. “Being the global launch customer of the Airbus A220-300, we continue to be a proud ambassador of it. We are grateful to our partners at Airbus for the incredible support, trust, and collaboration over these years.”

"Thank you to airBaltic for being such an ambassador for the A220 with this repeat order. The A220 has been the instrument for airBaltic in its success and growth thus far and we are particularly proud to be extending this partnership well into the future with this latest order”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. “The A220 offers a unique capability in terms of range, performance, and not to forget, passenger appeal. It is a gamechanger for our customers in this important market segment, which we are serving with less fuel-burn, lower emissions and noise, making the A220 a global citizen of choice.”

 

The A220-300 is the most modern airliner in its size category, carrying between 120 to 150 passengers on flights of up to 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km). The aircraft offers 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. It also has the largest cabin, seats and windows in its class, ensuring superior comfort.

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with 100% SAF by 2030. 

As at the end of October, Airbus won close to 820 orders from around 30 customers for the A220, of which more than 295 have been delivered, including 50 deliveries so far in 2023. The A220 is already in successful service with 17 airlines worldwide on 1,350+ routes.

airBaltic carries over half a million passengers during July

During July 2023, airBaltic, the government-owned Latvian carrier transported 514,800 passengers, up 24% on the same period last year. In the previous month, airBaltic performed 4 310 flights, marking a 17% increase from July 2022.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “For the first time since 2019 and the fifth time in the history of airBaltic, we have served over 500 000 passengers in a single month. The recent launch of 20 new routes across all our home markets has generated a lot of interest and provided passengers with a wide range of travel options. Overall, these results confirm our trajectory of growth, while the team's dedication to delivering exceptional service is deeply appreciated by customers.”

airBaltic reports historically highest profit during the first half of the year.

airBaltic finished the first half of the year with a net income of EUR 14.6 million, representing an improvement of EUR 105.7 million, compared to the same period in 2022. During today's investor call, Martin Gauss, President and CEO of the Latvian national airline airBaltic, along with the Board Members – CFO Vitolds Jakovļevs and COO Pauls Cālītis – presented the company's Q2 and H1 financial results, showcasing a remarkable surge in net profit, revenue, EBITDAR levels, and operational excellence.

Moreover, airBaltic concluded H1 with a significant comparable EBITDAR of nearly EUR 57 million, exceeding the 2022 figure by approximately EUR 50 million. In Q2, the airline achieved a record-breaking comparable EBITDAR of EUR 53.8 million, resulting in an EBITDAR margin close to 29%. The data confirm that airBaltic has attained its highest-ever revenue for the first half of a single year, reaching EUR 291 million. This marks an impressive 52% increase in contrast to the previous year and a substantial 33% improvement over 2019.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic, remarked: “The exceptional results of the first half of this year have exceeded our expectations. We are doing well in terms of business, and the operating cash flow is at an all-time high. When we look back at the first six months of 2022 and even 2019, we have seen a significant growth – achieving the historically highest profit, record-breaking revenue, and an overall increase in the number of people flying with us.”

“However, the shortage of spare engines, which led to an average of 11 aircraft grounded, significantly impacted our performance of Q2. That delayed even greater improvement in total results. To mitigate this capacity loss, we were forced to wet-lease in substitute aircraft. Despite these obstacles, airBaltic's commercial performance was strong,” Gauss added.

During the first six months of 2023, airBaltic carried close to 2.0 million passengers, or 52% more than during the same period last year. In turn, flight operations soared by 20%, reaching 20 294 performed flights. Essentially, July marked the first time since 2019 and the fifth time in the history of airBaltic, when over 500 000 passengers were carried in a single month.

airBaltic increases its market share in Riga to 57%

airBaltic, the Latvian national airline has increased its market share from its home base of Riga International Airport to 57% in May 2023. It is a 9% increase from the 48% market share the airline had in its home airport the same month last year.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO airBaltic: “airBaltic continues to be a strong backbone of Riga International Airport, and we are glad to have once again secured our position as the largest airline operating from Riga with now a significant market share of 57%. We continue to be committed to our home base in the capital of Latvia, being the main connectivity provider to and from the Baltic region.”

“With the largest-ever number of operated routes in a summer season yet, every month we are seeing the passenger demand gradually increasing. It is reflected accordingly in our passenger numbers. During the last month, we carried 437 000 passengers or by 53% more than during the same period last year, and we expect a similar trend of gradually increasing passenger demand continuing all throughout the summer,” Martin Gauss added.

As reported previously, this summer season, airBaltic has launched direct flights to a record-high 20 new destinations – including 10 from Riga. The airline has recently begun connecting Riga with Baku (Azerbaijan), Belgrade (Serbia), Bilbao (Spain), Bucharest (Romania), Burgas (Bulgaria), Hannover (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey), Porto (Portugal), Tivat (Montenegro) and Yerevan (Armenia).

AI is the way forward for airBaltic.

The airline confirmed it has gradually adopted various Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, integrating their capabilities in the company’s marketing and software development activities.

Gauss said: “By implementing AI capabilities, airBaltic aims to provide a seamless customer experience and improve efficiency for our employees. The tools, described below, not only contribute to the company's growth, but also could aim to establish new industry standards. It is an important condition for us that the airline remains at the forefront of innovative technologies, continuously testing and implementing new and diverse AI-driven solutions.”

The most recent and visible use of AI for airBaltic can be observed at the AI-generated upcoming sales campaign Planies Crazy Deals. It marks the first time the airline has incorporated AI-generated images into marketing materials. The campaign features a cartoon plane character from airBaltic's NFT collection Planies. To create images for the campaign, airBaltic has used Microsoft Bing Image Creator, which is powered by an advanced version of the DALL∙E model, developed by OpenAI. This advanced technology allows to showcase travel destinations with one-of-a-kind and captivating AI-generated images.

In software development, the airline takes advantage of GitHub Copilot, which helps developers in writing code more efficiently. By offering context-aware code completions, GitHub Copilot increases developers' productivity and saves more time.

In addition, airBaltic has built an in-house chatbot SkyTalker, designed to analyze extensive documentation. The tools offers employees clear and accurate answers to their questions, enhancing customer service and improving internal processes.

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria set to be winter base for airBaltic

The Latvian national carrier, airBaltic confirmed on Wednesday 14th June that it will open a winter base in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria later this year.

The airline has said it will base two Airbus A220-300 aircraft at the Gran Canaria Airport for the winter season which will serve 10 direct routes. The action of basing two planes in Las Palmas demonstrates airBaltic's strategy to optimize crew rotation efficiency and maximize aircraft utilization, being able to assign them on routes through the airline’s already existing bases and served cities. 

The decision to open a seasonal base at Las Palmas will have no impact on airBaltic's winter schedule, plans or overall operations from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Tampere, the airline confirmed on Wednesday. The new base will also complement airBaltic's current services to the Canary Islands, with direct flights to Tenerife from its four main bases during the upcoming winter season.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO airBaltic: “When preparing for the upcoming season, we always carefully analyze the market dynamics. For winter months, when the overall passenger demand worldwide is traditionally lower, we have identified an opportunity to optimize our capacity to be as efficient as possible – by establishing a seasonal base and operating two aircraft from Las Palmas to serve the demand for sunny and leisure destinations. Such expanded presence in Gran Canaria not only enhances connectivity, but also provides passengers with a wide range of convenient travel options.”

Gran Canaria – Riga (Latvia)3 flights weekly starting October 23, 2023

Gran Canaria – Bergen (Norway)2 flights weekly starting December 1, 2023

Gran Canaria – Billund (Denmark)2 flights weekly starting December 1, 2023

Gran Canaria – Copenhagen (Denmark)1 flights weekly from December 2, 2023

Gran Canaria – Vilnius (Lithuania)1 flight weekly from December 2, 2023

Gran Canaria – Oslo-Sandefjord Torp (Norway)2 flights weekly from December 2, 2023

Gran Canaria – Aalborg (Denmark)2 flight weekly from December 3, 2023

Gran Canaria – Oslo-Gardermoen (Norway)2 flights weekly from December 3, 2023

Gran Canaria – Tampere (Finland)1 flight weekly from December 5, 2023

Gran Canaria – Tallinn (Estonia)1 flight weekly from December 7, 2023

airBaltic spreads its wings ......new base to open

The Latvian airline airBaltic has announced that it will be opening a seasonal base, which will be outside the Baltic region. The carrier has advised it will be Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for the upcoming winter season with the base opening at the end of October 2023.

During the winter period, the carrier will base two Airbus A220-300 aircraft at Gran Canaria Airport, which will be serving 10 direct routes.

airBaltic carries 53% more passengers in May 2023

During May 2023, the Latvian national airline airBaltic has carried 437,000 passengers, that's up by 53% from May 2022. The airline operated 4180 flights during the month, a 20% increase from May 2022. They included the first flights to new destinations of Bucharest, Porto, Burgas, Bilbao, Tivat, Yerevan, Belgrade, and Baku.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “The summer season is in full swing and we are already seeing a rise in the number of passengers choosing airBaltic as their preferred airline. This is mostly due to our recent launch of 20 new routes from all four bases. In addition, the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and extra flights between Riga and Tampere played a significant role – providing fans with the opportunity to support the men’s hockey team of Latvia, who have proudly won bronze medals.”

airBaltic currently has a number of open positions including for cabin crew.  tiny.cc/msp7vz

Discover other career horizons: careers.airbaltic.com

airBaltic welcomes 42nd Airbus A220-300 and completes Asia demonstration tour

Recently Latvian carrier 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 that 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.

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.

The airline has also recently completed a demonstration tour of Asia along with partners Airbus.  The A220-300 was shown off to prospective customers and media and industry representatives. 

The Airbus A220-300 has performed beyond the company’s expectations, delivering better overall performance, fuel efficiency and convenience for both passengers and the staff. This aircraft offers an excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and much more.

The Airbus A220-300 has a high-quality air filtering system equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) type filter that provides the best level of filtration currently available for recirculated cabin air from the very beginning of boarding, during entire flight and until all passengers have left the aircraft. The quality of cabin air is carefully controlled and is recirculated with ventilation rates that provide a total change of air 20-30 times per hour. 

In addition, the aircraft is also considerably quieter – with a four times smaller noise footprint. Moreover, at the moment it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

airBaltic starts taking bookings for new Vilnius - Dubai route.

The Latvian national airline airBaltic has started taking bookings for its new route between Vilnius and Dubai, following approval from the Lithuanian Government. 

The new route is a part of the upcoming winter season’s schedule, which will feature a total of 11 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere in Finland. Flights from Vilnius to Dubai will be performed twice a week (on Wednesdays and Saturdays), and the expected flight time is around 6 hours and 35 minutes. Moreover, the new route will complement the already existing all-year-round route between Riga and Dubai, thus even further expanding the travel opportunities to this popular destination.

Dubai offers a unique blend of business opportunities and leisure activities, making it an ideal destination for both business and leisure travellers, with its world-class infrastructure, bustling business districts, luxurious hotels, stunning beaches, shopping festivals, and iconic landmarks. This destination is known for world-renowned tourism industry and thriving business environment. Additionally, there are plenty of sightseeing opportunities to explore local culture and history.

Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President of Network Development at airBaltic: “We are excited to announce the launch of the direct flight between Vilnius and Dubai for the first time. At airBaltic, our commitment lies with increasing the connectivity of our Baltic home markets and ensuring that our customers have access to the most convenient travel options. Dubai is becoming one of the most popular destinations for Lithuanians in winter, and last year there were almost 17 000 passengers travelling between Vilnius and Dubai. With this new non-stop route we will be making their journey much faster and more comfortable.”

13 students begin studies at the airBaltic Pilot Academy

On May 15, 2023 already the 18th group of 13 students began their professional pilot studies at the Latvian national airline’s airBaltic Pilot Academy, aiming to receive a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “Highly-trained personnel is one of the key factors of successful operations at any airline. Since its establishment in 2017, the airBaltic Pilot Academy has produced skilled aviation professionals, with 100 active students currently pursuing their dreams here. Thus, we congratulate the young and determined students of the 18th group, who started their studies today to become professional pilots.”

The 18th group represents such countries as Latvia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Lithuania, France, and Spain.

There are 100 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Germany, France, Finland, Spain and Italy among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 78 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.

Since May 2022, airBaltic Pilot Academy has improved the payment structure for its commercial pilot study program. As of now, after successfully passing the company’s assessment, airBaltic will finance a significant part of the studies.

Students of the airBaltic Pilot Academy will now have to cover the costs of studies until obtaining a private pilot license level, costing approximately EUR 25 000. After passing airBaltic pilot assessment and becoming an employee of the company, the airline will provide financing for the rest of the studies.

More information about the Pilot Academy: www.pilotacademy.com.

airBaltic and Turkish Airlines start codeshare deal

The Latvian airline 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.

airBaltic President and CEO Martin Gauss: “We are glad to enter a codeshare agreement with our partners – Turkish Airlines – on our new flights between Riga, Latvia and Istanbul, Türkiye. This partnership enables local Baltic travellers to benefit from the wide network of Turkish Airlines globally and the local travellers in Türkiye are now able to enjoy a great variety of airBaltic’s destinations in Europe and beyond. We are looking forward to a successful, long-standing collaboration together.”

Turkish Airlines’ CEO Bilal Ekşi: “We are excited about our new partnership with airBaltic that both our corporate and leisure customers will benefit from. We look forward to welcoming more visitors from Latvia in our unique geography that cradled many civilizations throughout history, while also encouraging travel from Türkiye to the fascinating city of Riga.”

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 connectivity via 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.

During April 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic carried 330,000 passengers

During April 2023, the Latvian airline airBaltic said it carried exactly 330,000 passengers, up 35% on the same month last year.  The carrier performed 3260 flights, marking a 3% increase from April 2022 and an average of just over 101 people per flight. 

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “The summer season has officially begun and we are already seeing a rise in the number of carried passengers – an increasing number of people are choosing airBaltic as their preferred airline. This is likely due in part to our recent launch of 20 new routes from all four bases, which have generated significant interest. As a result, we anticipate even greater increase in passenger numbers during the summer season.”

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.

The carrier which is majoritively owned by the Latvian Government recently started its new summer programme from Tallinn, which features new leisure destinations such as Split (Croatia), Rhodes (Greece), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Heraklion (Greece). 

It was earlier this month that airBaltic celebrated its first anniversary of operating a base outside of the Baltic's, in Tampere, Finland. To mark the occasion the carrier introduced two new direct destinations from the city to Milan and Nice. The airline connects Tampere with eight destinations and will continue to base one of its Airbus A220-300 in Tampere for the summer season.

airBaltic launches summer season 2023 from Tallinn

The Latvian government-funded airline, airBaltic has announced the launch of the summer season 2023 from Tallinn, with four new destinations!

This year the carrier has added the leisure destinations of Split in Croatia, Rhodes, Dubrovnik, and Heraklion.   

Thomas Ramdahl, Senior Vice President of Network Development at airBaltic: “We are committed to providing our passengers with seamless travel experiences and improving connectivity to and from our home cities in the Baltics. With the launch of the summer flight season from Tallinn with four new summer destinations, we are excited to offer even more options to our passengers. We are grateful for the invaluable contribution and cooperation of our partners, including Tallinn Airport, in making this possible. Moreover, this summer season already the third airBaltic aircraft is based in Tallinn, and, thanks to the growing amount of passengers, we are delighted to see that our market share in Tallinn keeps growing.”

Eero Pärgmäe, Member of the Board at Tallinn Airport: “The opening of a new route is a very happy day for the airport. Today we are celebrating the opening of four airBaltic summer routes which makes us four times happier. airBaltic is an important and long-term partner of Tallinn Airport. We are very delighted that this airline clearly emphasizes further plans to invest in Tallinn Airport and at the same time improve connectivity options for Estonian travellers. The market share of this company in Tallinn is growing, which means that our local passengers increasingly appreciate convenient opportunities to travel on the routes offered by it and high level of service.”

Photo by Jaanus Jagomägi on Unsplash

airBaltic's first anniversary of Tampere base with the launch of two new destinations

To celebrate the first anniversary of its Tampere base, the Latvian airline airBalt has launched two new destinations.

Tampere is the first base for the carrier outside the Baltics and has thus far proved to be a success. No doubt buoyed by Finland's own national airline Finnair, starting to reduce and consolidate domestic and regional flights.

airBaltic has launched two new direct destinations from the city of Tampere,  to Milan in Italy and the popular French holiday destination for the rich and famous - Nice. The airline connects Tampere with eight destinations and will continue to base one of its Airbus A220-300 in Tampere for the summer season.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “Exactly one year ago, airBaltic reached a significant milestone in the history of the airline, opening its first base outside the Baltics – in Tampere. We are glad to celebrate already one year of the base and the start of the summer 2023 season in Tampere together with our passengers, partners, and media. We continue to be committed to Tampere, our home city, and further improving connectivity to and from the region.”

Petri Vuori, Finavia’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development: “We are happy to welcome airBaltic’s new routes to Nice and Milan at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. They are a great addition to Finavia’s route network and strengthen the already wide range of connections from Tampere to popular destinations in Europe. We are also excited to continue our great partnership of the past year and inspire travel locally from and to Tampere.”

33 years ago, the 4th of May became a significant and special day in the history of Latvia. Happy independence day. 

airBaltic and Tarom codeshare deal extended

The Latvian Government owned airline airBaltic and the Romanian national air transport company Tarom have extended a codeshare partnership starting from 1st May. 

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.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “We are delighted to extend our fruitful codeshare partnership with Tarom, which will allow us to offer more travel options and flexibility to our customers. By joining forces, we can better serve our passengers, offering them seamless connectivity and more choices when planning their travels.”

airBaltic welcomed 140 students for its 2023 Shadow Day

Latvian national airline airBaltic, the largest employer in Latvia's transportation sector, for the 16th time participated in Shadow Day, this year by welcoming 140 students. They had the opportunity to explore and understand more than 20 professions in the exciting and dynamic aviation industry.

During Shadow Day 2023, students had the opportunity to get to know the work of airBaltic pilots, flight attendants, aircraft technicians, and other industry professionals. 

For airBaltic, this was a record-breaking number of shadows welcomed in the airline's history. The airline received 540 applications, of which pilots and cabin crews were the most popular. 

This year airBaltic hosted Shadow Day not only in Riga, but also in Liepāja (base of the airBaltic Pilot Academy).

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “I am delighted that airBaltic participated in Shadow Day 2023, by welcoming a record-breaking number of students. It is important for us to provide opportunities for young people in Latvia to explore and learn about the aviation industry. We hope that this initiative will inspire and encourage more students to consider aviation as a potential career path.”

airBaltic to temporarily wet-lease additional aircraft

airBaltic is temporarily wet-leasing additional aircraft on a short-term basis to cover for Airbus A220 aircraft that are out of action because of delays with engine maintenance.

The carrier is leasing:

XFly Bombardier CRJ-900NG, with 88 seats.

Danish Air Transport -  Airbus A320-232 with 180 seats.

Carpatair - Airbus A319-100 with 150 seats.

Cyprus Airways - Airbus A320-232 with 180 seats. 

These are in addition to the four  Airbus A320-232 aircraft with 180 seats wet-leased for the whole summer season from Avion Express.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “We are strongly committed to our contractual obligations to passengers and partners. However, the extended turnaround times for Pratt & Whitney servicing the engines are causing operational disruption for airBaltic. They, as a long-term partner of airBaltic, could not keep the given promise again on the improved turnaround times. Therefore, airBaltic is contracting replacement capacity in form of ACMI wet-lease aircraft.”

"While we understand that this is an unfortunate situation, we remain optimistic that it will be resolved soon. Moreover, some of the wet-leased aircraft offer even more seats, allowing us to carry a greater amount of passengers. In the meantime, we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure that the majority of our passengers continue to be transported by the backbone of our operations – the Airbus A220-300 aircraft," Gauss concluded.

While the Latvian Government funded airline is wet-leasing in aircraft to allow it to operate its full summer schedule with 20 new destinations, it is still leasing out 14 of its own Airbus A220 planes during this summer season.