RIGA — The economic crisis that hammered Latvia’s economy and forced its government to accept an International Monetary Fund loan isn’t hurting business at Riga International Airport.

In 2009 the airport handled 10.2 percent more passengers than in 2008. The airport, the biggest in the Baltic states, received a boon after the flyLAL airline shut down in January 2009 and Latvian airline airBaltic pulled most of its flights from Vilnius, which meant visitors to the Lithuanian capital often had to fly through Riga. More than four million passengers passed through Riga International in 2009.

“Last year was one of the most successful years in the history of Riga International Airport,” Krišjānis Peters, chairman of the airport’s board, said.

Peters expressed optimism about the airport’s traffic in 2010.

“For the year 2010 we have also set a goal to increase passenger traffic to approximately 4.5 million, add new direct destinations to the existing ones and bring new airlines to the airport,” Peters said.

However, the airport will have to do so without state support of Latvia’s airBaltic airline in the form of discounted tariffs at Riga International Airport, which were declared an anti-competitive business practice and ordered to stop by the country’s Competition Council last year.