airBaltic (airBaltic.com) (Riga) is dropping its two routes to Istanbul (Sabiha Gokcen) and Kaliningrad on May 27 per Airline Route.

The airBaltic fleet currently consists of three aircraft types – 5 Boeing 737-500s, 8 Boeing 737-300s and 12 Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen turboprops, in total – 25 aircraft. The company hopes to replace the Boeing 737 fleet with new Bombardier CS300 aircraft which has been delayed.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-31S YL-BBS (msn 29267) taxies at Antalya, Turkey.

airBaltic: 

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic) (Riga) is the previously announced undisclosed customer that had converted three option aircraft to firm on the original order contract in February 2014. The original order for 10 firm airliners with options for 10 more was finalized on December 20, 2012.

Based on the list price of the CS300 airliner, the three firm aircraft order is valued at approximately $228 million US.

Airbaltic now has 13 Bombardier CS300s on order.

Established in 1995, airBaltic is the main carrier in the Baltic region and operates direct flights out of Riga, Latvia and serves 60 destinations spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East with a fleet of 25 aircraft.

Image: Bombardier.

airBaltic: 

airBaltic (airBaltic.com) (Riga) on October 30 launched a new route connecting Vilnius and Amsterdam. The new route will operate three days a week. Previously on October 28 the company started a new route connection between Tallinn and Paris (CDG). The Paris route will operate four days a week. Both routes are being operated with Boeing 737s.

Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by airBaltic). Ex-United Boeing 737-522 YL-BBM (msn 26680) arrives in Zurich.

airBaltic Aircraft Slide Show:

Route Map for routes from Riga:

airBaltic (Riga) will launch a new weekly route between Riga and Dubrovnik, Croatia, on May 26, 2015.

In addition, the Latvian airline will also launch a new weekly route between Riga and the Greek island of Rhodes next summer, starting on June 12, 2015.

Both routes will be operated with Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

Previously the carrier announced it will start a new route connecting Riga and Aalborg, Denmark, starting on April 18, 2015.

Copyright Photo: Arnd Wolf/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-33A YL-BBI (msn 27454) arrives in Munich.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic (Riga) has announced it is expanding its European network next summer with these new routes:

The company will start the Riga-Pisa route on June 13 with one weekly Boeing 737 flight.

The Tallinn-Vienna route will be added on May 7 with Bombardier Q400 aircraft with four weekly flights.

The Tallinn-Berlin route will also be added on May 6 with four weekly Bombardier Q400 flights.

The carrier is also launching summer weekly flights to Usedom Island (Heringsdorf) on May 9 with Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) YL-BAX (msn 4324) prepares to land in Zurich.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic (Riga) has announced it will be filling the void left by the closure of Air Lituanica (Vilnius) with six new routes starting on September 3. The airline issued this statement:

airBaltic will replace Air Lituanica flights and rescue the stranded passengers, affected by today’s suspension of operations of the Lithuanian carrier.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer: “Our home market for airBaltic is Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. We will consolidate and strengthen our service in our home market by offering more direct flights. We announce the first direct routes out of Vilnius to Western and Northern Europe and will evaluate additional ones gradually. We will rescue the stranded passengers in the first days following the suspension of flights, and will offer special rescue fares for customers booked for flights later in the summer.”

The routes to be operated:

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia.

Copyright Photo below: Stefan Sjogren/AirlinersGallery.com. airBaltic currently uses the pictured Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) for the current routes from Vilnius to both Amsterdam and Riga. YL-BAE (msn 4289) departs from Stockholm (Arlanda).

airBaltic aircraft slide show: 

airBaltic (Riga) will operate weekly winter seasonal Boeing 737 service from Riga to Salzburg from December 26, 2015 through March 19, 2016.

Additionally, next summer, the carrier will launch two new routes from Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn – Amsterdam service will be launched on March 27, 2016 and Tallinn – Stockholm (Bromma) will commence on the same day per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-36Q YL-BBJ YL-BBJ (msn 30333) approaches the runway at Zurich.

airBaltic aircraft slide show: 

AirBaltic (airBaltic.com) (Riga) will launch a new route between Riga and Keflavik serving Reykjavik, Iceland on May 28, 2016. AirBaltic will fly from Riga to Keflavik (Reykjavik) twice weekly. Passengers will board a Boeing 737-300 for a flight that will last 4 hours and 5 minutes.

AirBaltic is expanding operations at both Tallinn (Estonia) and Vilnius (Lithuania) following the failure of Estonian Air (Tallinn). airBaltic expects by 2021 to be operating 11 nonstop routes from both cities.

AirBaltic will also increase the  Vilnius – Tallinn and Tallinn – Vilnius routes to 10 flights a week (Monday through Friday) with Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft for a flight that will last 1 hours and 20 minutes.

In other news, AirBaltic will sign a new agreement with investor Ralf Dieter Montag-Girmes of Germany for a 20 percent share in the airline.

Additionally the carrier is expected to finalize its order for 17 Bombardier CS300s it has on tentative order.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-31S YL-BBR (msn 29266) arrives in Zurich.

AirBaltic aircraft slide show: 

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced the delivery of the first CS300 aircraft to launch operator Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic), the flag carrier of Latvia. The CS300 is the larger variant of Bombardier’s all new C Series aircraft, which is designed to carry between 130 and 150 passengers. The handover to airBaltic comes just five months after the successful entry into service of the CS100 variant of the C Series.

The maiden commercial flight of airBaltic’s first 145-seat CS300 aircraft, which will take passengers from Riga to Amsterdam, is scheduled for December 14, 2016.

airBaltic is the launch operator for the CS300 aircraft, and has ordered 20 CS300 aircraft. The new type will replace the existing fleet of Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s.

Images: Bombardier and airBaltic.

airBaltic has received its second of its 20 Bombardier CS300 jets on firm order. The modernized fleet will ensure growth of the carrier with at least 10 additional routes and 16% more tickets on sale in 2017.

The second CS300 aircraft, registered as YL-CSB, departed from Montreal Mirabel shortly before midnight local time on the last day of 2016 and arrived in Riga in 2017. The flight time was seven hours and 11 minutes and aircraft covered 6582 km non-stop between the Canadian and Latvian airports.

The pictured YL-CSA, the first CS300, is seen at Amsterdam. On December 14, 2016 this airBaltic CS300 operated the first commercial flight. With 120 passengers aboard, including local media, the flight departed Riga and landed in Amsterdam. airBaltic is operating the CS300 aircraft in a 145-seat, two-class configuration. The airline has ordered a total of 20 CS300 aircraft.

airBaltic has announced new CS300 routes for 2017:

Since entering revenue service with Swiss, the CS100 aircraft has completed more than 1,600 flights — carrying over 156,560 passengers, covering over 1,181 500 km and serving 18 destinations.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier CS300 YL-CSA (msn 55003) AMS (Marco Finelli). Image: 936523.

airBaltic will launch two new routes from Riga to Adler/Sochi on May 14, 2018 and to Kaliningrad on April 16, 2018. Both routes will offer new travel options for travellers from the Baltics and Russia with convenient connections via Riga.

“Next summer both Sochi and Kaliningrad will be among the host cities for 2018 FIFA World Cup and the new connection via Riga will offer convenient flight options for those who are planning to attend the championship,” Reuss added.

*Lowest fare, including taxes, fees and service charges, on www.airBaltic.com, subject to availability

airBaltic will fly from Riga to Sochi 2 times weekly, but to Kaliningrad 6 times weekly. The flight to Sochi is scheduled to last 3 hours and 10 minutes, while to Kaliningrad – 55 minutes.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Boeing 737-36Q WL YL-BBX (msn 30334) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 939039.

airBaltic issued this statement on social media:

airBaltic confirms that on December 6, 2017, due to heavy winds and slippery taxiway its flight BT428 with a Boeing 737-500 from Riga to Moscow, slid off the taxiway during taxiing after the landing in Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Video:

airBaltic will launch a new nonstop route from London Gatwick Airport to Tallinn starting on March 27, 2018. The two weekly flights will offer convenient connections between the two cities.

*Lowest fare, including taxes, fees and service charges.

airBaltic will fly from London to Tallinn twice-weekly. The flight to Tallinn is scheduled to last 2 hours and 50 minutes.

For the summer season of 2018 airBaltic will also offer new services from Riga to Malaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Split (Croatia), Bordeaux (France), Gdansk (Poland) as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad (both in Russia).

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East. In addition, airBaltic also offers nonstop flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Boeing 737-36Q WL YL-BBX (msn 30334) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 939039.

airBaltic made this announcement:

Provisional data show that in December 2017, the Latvian airline airBaltic carried over 260 000 passengers or roughly 27% more than in the same period of 2016. This has been the biggest number of transported passengers in December in the airline’s history.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “2017 was a tremendous year for airBaltic – we opened 13 new destinations, improved services to already existing routes, thus more passengers chose to travel with us. All of this would not have been possible without the addition of seven brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft (above) that have outperformed our expectations and have been appreciated by our passengers.”

airBaltic served additional flights during the Christmas holidays from Riga to such destinations as Paris, London and Zurich. The additional flights improved the convenient connections already served between these cities. In addition, during winter season airBaltic is serving a variety of popular skiing destinations, including such popular services as Munich, Geneva, Salzburg, Verona and Poprad in the High Tatras Mountains. In December 2017, the most popular destinations were Moscow, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Berlin.

For the summer season of 2018 airBaltic will add Malaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Split (Croatia), Bordeaux (France) and Gdansk (Poland) as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad (Russia).

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East. In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier CS300 YL-CSD (msn 55006) ZRH (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 939702.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic will launch a new summer seasonal route between Riga and Almaty in Kazakhstan on April 29, 2018.

airBaltic will fly from Riga to Almaty 3 flights weekly. Passengers will board a Bombardier CS300 aircraft for a flight that will last approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier CS300 YL-CSC (msn 55005) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 938229.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic in February will host an airBaltic “Pilot Open Days” initiative in several cities, including Vilnius, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The initiative targets different types of pilots willing to become part of airBaltic flight crew. The airline is planning to recruit more than 100 pilots in 2018.

During the “Pilot Open Days” events, all interested individuals will have a chance to learn more about airBaltic’s flight crew vacancies and to receive more information about airBaltic. During the event, the participants will have opportunity to ask questions directly to airBaltic chief pilots and receive all the necessary information on how to join the dynamic and motivated team of the world’s most punctual airline airBaltic.

airBaltic is organizing “Pilot Open Days” in specific cities due to the strong community of pilots. airBaltic has a multicultural team with over 50 pilots from Lithuania, more than 26 pilots from Netherlands and over 14 from Sweden.

On February 1, 2018 the first “Pilot Open Days” events will be held in Vilnius at 10:00 and at 15:00 in “AirInn Vilnius Hotel”.
On February 6, 2018 airBaltic team will travel to Stockholm and the events will take place at 10:00 and at 15:00 in “Radisson Blu Skycity Hotel”.
On February 8, 2018 the “Pilot Open Days” events will be held in Helsinki in “Cumulus Resort Airport Congress Center” at 10:00 and at 15:00.
On February 13, 2018 the final event will take place in Amsterdam in “Hotel NH Amsterdam Schiphol Airport” at 11:00.

The project does not require candidates to fill out an application form before the visit, but simply to take their CV, personal identification document, and arrive for the event. For more information about work at airBaltic, candidates can visit airline’s recruitment website: http://recruite.airbaltic.com/

In December 2017, airBaltic also started the application process for candidates to the airline’s newly established Pilot Academy at airBalticTraining. Persons selected will be the first class of students of the professional airline pilot training programme and will become airBaltic pilots upon completion of the programme in about two years from now.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East. In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Photo: airBaltic.

airBaltic will launch new nonstop services from Tallinn to Stockholm and Oslo and base a second aircraft at Tallinn Airport starting on October 28, 2018.

The airline will base a Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft in Tallinn.

airBaltic will fly from Tallinn to Stockholm 12 times weekly.

The flights to Oslo will be operated twice-weekly and the scheduled flight time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

In addition, airBaltic will continue to offer nonstop flights from Tallinn to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Vilnius as well as convenient connections via Riga.

airBaltic will also launch a new nonstop service from Tallinn to London Gatwick Airport starting on March 27, 2018.

In 2017, airBaltic has transported over 360 000 passengers to and from Estonia. The airline has carried 20% more passengers in Estonia to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, CIS and the Middle East than in 2016.

For the summer season of 2018 airBaltic will also offer new services from Riga to Malaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Split (Croatia), Bordeaux (France), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Gdansk (Poland) as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad (both in Russia).

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) YL-BBT (msn 4438) VIE (Tony Storck). Image: 939143.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic welcomed the eighth of its 20 Bombardier CS300 jets, registered as YL-CSH, in Riga on February 3. By the end of 2018, airBaltic plans to have a total of 14 CS300 aircraft on its fleet.

This week airBaltic will exhibit one of its Bombardier CS300 aircraft at the largest aircraft exhibition in Asia – Singapore Airshow.

Thus far, airBaltic has carried over 760 000 passengers on the brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft with every fourth airBaltic passenger flying on the aircraft. CS300 have completed more than 7 354 flights and flown over 19 345 block hours.

By the end of 2019 airBaltic is planning to have 20 Bombardier CS300 aircraft on its fleet. With an average jet fleet age of only 2 years, airBaltic, as an all-Bombardier operator, will have one of the youngest jet fleets in Europe.

The new Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with a total of 145 seats, offers excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more. New aircraft is also much quieter – with 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 serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia.

The new CS300s will allow the airline to retire its fleet of Boeing 737s.

Photo: airBaltic.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic, starting on March 27, will enter the summer season with nine new routes and improved schedule linking the Baltic region with sunny destinations in Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East.

This summer airBaltic will offer more than 70 direct services from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. For the summer season of 2018 airBaltic will offer new services from Riga to Malaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Split (Croatia), Bordeaux (France), Gdansk (Poland), Almaty (Kazakhstan) as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad (both in Russia). In addition, airBaltic will launch a new route connecting Tallinn and London. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights can be found on the company’s homepage at http://www.airbaltic.com.

airBaltic will also improve service for the summer season in Ukraine by increasing frequencies from Odessa to Riga up to six weekly flights starting March 25, 2018. Additional frequencies will also be added for such destinations as Paris, Munich, Warsaw, Moscow, Milan among others.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East. airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier CS300 YL-CSA (msn 55003) BRU (Karl Cornil). Image: 938760.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

airBaltic on March 27, entered the summer season by launching two new routes from Riga International Airport to Lisbon and Gdansk. This afternoon airBaltic will also launch a new route connecting Tallinn and London.

Starting on March 27, 2018, airBaltic flies between Riga and Lisbon twice a week on a Bombardier CS300 aircraft, and the flight is scheduled to last 4 hours and 35 minutes. From Riga to Gdansk, airBaltic flies three times a week on a Bombardier Q400Next Gen aircraft, and the flight is scheduled to last one hour and 20 minutes. From Tallinn to London, airBaltic will fly twice a week, and the flight is scheduled to last 3 hours. One-way ticket price from Riga to Lisbon starts at 89 EUR, from Riga to Gdansk at 25 EUR and from Tallinn to London at 29 EUR, including airport fees and transaction costs.

For summer 2018 airBaltic will add nine new destinations to its route map. In total airBaltic this summer will offer more than 70 direct services from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. In addition, airBaltic will also improve service for the summer season by adding additional frequencies from Riga to such destinations as Odessa, Paris, Munich, Warsaw, Moscow, Milan among others. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights can be found on the company’s homepage at http://www.airbaltic.com.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East. airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Bombardier CS300 YL-CSB (msn 55004) LGW (Antony J. Best). Image: 937372.

airBaltic aircraft slide show: