RIGA — Latvian national airline airBaltic has been on the up and up throughout January, adding numerous routes and even taunting its struggling competitor Estonian Air.

On Jan. 18 the airline won the “Phoenix Award” from the trade magazine Air Transport World for turning its financial situation around and increasing passengers in 2009 despite the economic crisis that hit the Baltic states. Meanwhile airBaltic added a whopping nine routes this month, increased flights to existing routes and in typical fashion lightly teased Estonian Air, which is in a dispute with its pilot’s union over 30 percent salary cuts.

“airBaltic is expanding … and continues to hire more professionals. airBaltic offers its staff competitive and stable salaries that correspond international standards,” company spokesman Janis Vanags said in a statement to the press.

Routes added in January include Manchester-Riga, Amman-Riga, Beirut-Riga, Umeå-Riga, London-Vilnius, Dublin-Vilnius, Oslo-Vilnius, Hamburg-Vilnius and Manchester-Vilnius. Flights to Minsk were also increased in cooperation with Belavia Belarusian Airlines.

The airline also launched a co-branding campaign with the pan-Baltic Reval hotel chain.

2010 looks tough, though

However, despite the stream of good news, CEO Bertolt Flick is not optimistic about 2010.

“We expect economic conditions in the Baltic markets to worsen in 2010 compared to 2009. Gross domestic product will continue to decline in 2010 and no recovery can be expected until summer 2011. We will see further collapse of local passenger traffic in the Baltics, as buying power of residents diminishes due to higher taxes, lower incomes and rising unemployment,” Flick said in a statement to the press.

“airBaltic will therefore open at least 9 new routes to further strengthen our transit product. Our new routes will focus on niche markets in Scandinavia and the CIS where airBaltic faces a low level of competition. airBaltic will be the only serious airline in the Baltics in 2010,” Flick said.