RIGA — The dispute between Riga International Airport and airBaltic over ground handling fees heated up a notch on Monday as the airport announced a countersuit against the airline for not paying 2.5 million lats (€3.5 million) in charges.

The airport alleges that airBaltic is not paying the increased fees after the discount offered to Latvia’s national carrier were eliminated after the Competition Council ruled they were anti-competitive last summer. These include the passenger fee increase from Nov. 1, 2009, the ground handling fee increase from Jan. 1, 2010 and other taxes.

Riga airport board member Jānis Ķuzulis told the Diena newspaper that he hoped the disagreement over the fees would not deter airBaltic from funding a new terminal.

The countersuit is in response to airBaltic’s decision to take the airport to court earlier this month, alleging that the airport is giving special treatment to Ryanair by allowing them to pay lower tariffs. airBaltic contacted the court demanding that the Riga airport pay them 6 million lats (€8.6 million).

Both airBaltic and the Riga airport are state-owned, and transport minister Kaspars Gerhards responded to the lawsuit saying that the tariffs are working as they should be given the good volume of traffic going into the airport.

Gerhards said the scheme best and most competitive tariff policy ever implemented at the airport, as evidenced by the entry of new airlines and increased passenger numbers.

“Some disagreements between airlines and airports in Riga on economic matters can not be a basis to undermine the airport’s competitiveness and tariff policy as a whole, thus leaving a negative impact both on the airport and airBaltic,” the minister said.

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