Air Baltic

History

airBaltic was founded on 28 August 1995 as a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and the government of Latvia, created to replace the country's insolvent former flag carrier Latavio, and began flying on 1 October 1995. The airline expanded its fleet through the late 1990s and 2000s with Avro RJ70s, Fokker 50s, and its first Boeing 737-500 in 2003, rebranding to its current lowercase 'airBaltic' identity in 2004 and adding a second base in Vilnius, Lithuania that same year. SAS divested its remaining stake in 2009, and a severe financial crisis in 2011 required a Latvian government bailout that pushed state ownership to nearly 100%, prompting the appointment of long-serving CEO Martin Gauss. A landmark fleet decision saw airBaltic become the launch operator of the Bombardier CS300 (later rebranded Airbus A220-300) from 2016, and the carrier has since become the world's largest operator of that aircraft type. In January 2025, Lufthansa Group acquired a 10% convertible stake in airBaltic for €14 million, laying groundwork for a possible future IPO, and Gauss departed the airline in 2025 with Erno Hildén named as his successor as CEO.

Current Operations

airBaltic operates an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet of roughly 60 aircraft, making it the world's largest operator of the type, with plans to grow toward around 99 aircraft by 2032. The carrier serves more than 70 destinations across Europe and the Middle East from its primary hub at Riga International Airport, with secondary bases in Tallinn, Vilnius, and Tampere and a seasonal presence in Las Palmas. airBaltic sits outside the major global alliances but maintains extensive codeshare agreements, including with Star Alliance carriers, and part of its fleet operates under a wet-lease arrangement with Lufthansa Group. The airline has faced recent operational strain, including thousands of flight cancellations in early 2025 tied to Pratt & Whitney engine maintenance delays and its first A220 hull loss in June 2025 after an APU fire, even as it was voted Best Airline in Eastern Europe at the 2024 Skytrax awards and continues rolling out Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi across its fleet.

Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports35

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