airBaltic's expansion has paid dividends for Riga International Airport, which now dominates the three Baltic states as an air traffic hub. Photo courtesy of airBaltic.
RIGA — Latvian airline airBaltic has announced the launch of nonstop flights from Riga to Frankfurt and Warsaw, bringing up the amount of direct flights from the capital to 59.
The connection to Frankfurt makes it the sixth non-stop destination for the airline in Germany. The new route is part of rapid expansion of the company through their Riga hub.
“We are always looking for new ones. We may open something during the winter,” Lithuanian head of operations Tadas Vizgirda told Baltic Reports. “For closures, it is performance-based, but at the moment there is no secret list of places under consideration for closure.”
The move comes alongside the Latvian government’s move to issue convertible bonds to raise airBaltic’s share capital to cover losses and debt. Company President and CEO Bertolt Flick blamed airBaltic’s dismal 2008 figures (nearly €40 million in the red) on unfavorable fuel contracts signed with SAS.
Riga International gains clout
Tero Taskila, Chief Commercial Officer of airBaltic, said the new route would open up new connections for the company, which aims to route as many passengers through its hub, Riga, as possible. Riga International recently entered the top 100 highest-traffic airports in the world since many flights that once went through the other two Baltic capitals now go through Riga.
“We’re delighted to expand the airBaltic network of routes with Europe’s financial capital, Frankfurt. This new route will ensure convenient connections to final destinations in Scandinavia, the CIS, the Caucasus, and the Middle East,” Taskila said.
The flight to Warsaw fills a noticeable gap between the Baltic states and the Polish capital. Compared to the preponderance of flights to and from other airports in Europe, the Baltic states are a relatively isolated after the cutbacks by Estonian Air and the shutdown of Lithuania’s flyLAL.
“By opening the route Warsaw-Riga, airBaltic will begin operations in one of the largest markets in the Baltic Sea region,” Taskila said.
Vizgirda said the flights open up the routes to new passengers.
“Some people think that these routes have too high competition, but its looks like we have captured a new market on these flights because the amount of flights to Frankfurt and Warsaw has grown,” he said.
The airline will offer seven weekly flights from Riga to Frankfurt using a Boeing 737, which will take two hours and 15 minutes to reach its destination.
Flights from Riga to Warsaw using a Fokker 50 will run daily with the flight lasting one hour and 40 minute.
One-way ticket prices to both destinations will start at 27 lati (€38), including airport and transaction fees, the company said.
Other new destinations started this year by airBaltic from Riga include Turku, Tromsø, Palanga, Kaunas, Tartu, Pskov, Geneva, and Dushanbe.
— Baltic Reports editor Nathan Greenhalgh contributed to this article.
