Aviation History
Latvia's first airline, Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme, flew briefly in the 1920s before Soviet occupation absorbed the country's aviation into Aeroflot for five decades. After independence in 1991, the short-lived state carrier Latavio (1992–1996) gave way to airBaltic, founded in 1995 as a joint venture between the Latvian government and Scandinavian Airlines, which remains the country's flag carrier and a launch operator of the Airbus A220. Riga Airport has grown into the largest and busiest hub in the Baltic states since Latvia's 2004 EU and NATO accession.
Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme, a Latvian-German joint venture backed by Junkers, began flying between Riga, Tallinn, Kaunas and Königsberg.
After losing government subsidies in 1925, the pioneering carrier was wound down, ending Latvia's first independent airline venture.
Soviet occupation placed Latvian civil aviation under the USSR's Aeroflot system for the next five decades.
A new, larger Riga Airport opened as a Soviet-era replacement for the older Spilve Airport.
Latvia restored its independence, paving the way for a rebuilt national aviation sector.
Latavio, formed from Aeroflot's former Latvian branch, briefly served as the country's post-Soviet flag carrier before a failed privatization led to its 1996 shutdown.
airBaltic was established on 28 August 1995 as a joint venture between the Latvian government and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), with flights beginning 1 October.
Latvia joined the EU and NATO, integrating Riga Airport into the EU single aviation market and accelerating its growth as a regional hub.
airBaltic took delivery of its first Bombardier CS300 (later rebranded Airbus A220), moving toward an all-A220 fleet strategy.
airBaltic · Latavio (1992–1996, defunct) · SmartLynx Airlines
Wikipedia, airBaltic corporate history, Riga Airport historical records
Aviation Firsts
Spilve Airport — Riga (1916): Imperial Russian Air Service's 12th Fighter Squadron was based there from 15 April 1916; Spilve became Riga's first international airport in the 1920s-30s. Fell into disuse in the 1980s after Riga International Airport opened; today used only for flying clubs, private pilot training and general aviation, with its terminal converted into the Latvian Aviation Museum. · Wikipedia ↗
Riga International Airport — Riga (1973): Built in 1973 explicitly as Spilve's replacement ('an alternative to Spilve Airport, which had become outdated'). Latvia's main international airport and airBaltic's hub today. · RIX ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Oldest by founding = Spilve Airport (1916, now defunct, preserved as the Latvian Aviation Museum). Oldest airport still functioning as Latvia's main international gateway = Riga International Airport (RIX, built 1973 specifically to replace Spilve). Ventspils International Airport (founded 1939) is ruled out -- its own Wikipedia page describes it as 'the newest' of Latvia's three notable airports.
Latavio (1992): Latvia's first post-independence national airline, emerging from the Latvian division of Aeroflot. Declared insolvent and liquidated October 1995. · Wikipedia ↗
airBaltic (1995): Officially established 28 August 1995, operations began 1 October 1995, after Latavio's liquidation. Wikipedia's own account is internally inconsistent on founding mechanics -- one passage ties its creation to the Latvian government plus Baltic International Airlines (BIA, a June 1992 Latvian-US joint venture) after Latavio's collapse, another to a joint venture between SAS and the Latvian government -- flagged here rather than resolved. Nowhere is airBaltic described as Latavio's legal successor; it is presented as a new company. Now 'the only flag carrier in the Baltic countries.' A pre-WWII Latvian airline could not be ruled in or out this session (open research gap, not a confirmed absence). · BT ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
No older Latvian airline than Latavio (1992) was confirmed, though a pre-WWII candidate could not be ruled out given Spilve's role as an international airport from the 1920s (open gap). airBaltic (1995) is Latvia's current, sole flag carrier but is not confirmed as Latavio's legal successor -- Wikipedia frames it as a new company formed after Latavio's liquidation, with inconsistent accounts of exactly how.
Havas (Havas Ground Handling, Turkey) (Turkey), 2010: Havas (part of the TAV Airports/Groupe ADP family) has provided full ground handling (ramp, baggage, GA, de-icing) at Riga International Airport since 2010, confirmed by three independent sources all citing the same 2010 start date and a now-third consecutive 7-year license running through 2031. None of these sources states that Havas was explicitly the FIRST foreign ground handler in Latvia -- confidence: tentative. No other foreign company (Swissport, Menzies, Celebi, dnata, WFS) was found entering the Latvian market in any source checked this session. (best-documented candidate found — not source-confirmed as literally first.) · Havas ↗
Aviation Museums1
Fleet by Operator
Passengers by Operator
Annual Passenger Traffic by Airport
Airlines3
Live Air Traffic1 aircraft
Source: adsb.lol — community ADS-B network. Busiest of this country’s top 6 profiled airports by traffic right now, not a full national count.
Aircraft Spotted Here
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