Latest news with #airBaltic
Travel Daily News
5 days ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
airBaltic launches new direct flights between Vilnius and Prague
Mantas Vrubliauskas, VP Network Management at airBaltic, said: 'For more than 20 years, Vilnius has been one of our bases, and we remain committed to strengthening connectivity from Lithuania. By expanding to more destinations, we aim to offer more convenient travel options for our passengers and continue growing our market share in the country. The launch of direct flights between Vilnius and Prague restores a long-unserved route, making travel significantly easier for the approximately 20 000 passengers annually who previously relied on connecting flights. This new service will support both leisure and business travel, while also contributing to inbound tourism and the broader economic development of Lithuania and the entire Baltic region.' This new route marks airBaltic's second connection to the Czech Republic, complementing the long-standing service between the airline's home base in Riga and Prague. During this summer season (from late March to late October), airBaltic will operate 16 direct routes from the Lithuanian capital to various destinations across Europe and beyond, while also continuing to offer direct flights from Palanga, Lithuania, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Riga, Latvia. On flights between Vilnius and Prague, airBaltic will offer both Economy and Business Class. Business Class passengers can enjoy a comprehensive full-service package, including priority check-in and boarding, a front-of-cabin seat with a free seat for added privacy, a gourmet meal perfectly paired with a curated selection of premium beverages, and quicker disembarking upon arrival. Throughout the flight, a dedicated Business Class cabin crew ensures exceptional service. The airBaltic fleet, one of the youngest in Europe, consists of a single aircraft type – Airbus A220-300. The airline currently operates 50 of such aircraft and aims to double in size. The aircraft offers an excellent flying experience, with benefits for passengers such as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin and improved lavatories, as well as better overall performance. Furthermore, the airline offers free high-speed SpaceX Starlink internet, making it the first European airline to provide this service. The entire fleet is planned to be equipped with this service. In April 2025, airBaltic carried 410 138 passengers across all its bases, marking a 12% increase compared to April 2024. The airline operated 3 958 flights, a 5% year-on-year rise, while the load factor improved by 1.7 percentage points, reaching 77.8%. These results indicate that passenger demand for airBaltic's services continues to increase, alongside solid operational performance. In April 2025, airBaltic reached a flight regularity of 99.6%, reflecting the airline's strong operational reliability across its network. Looking back at earlier this year, in March 2025, airBaltic carried 378 228 passengers across all its bases – a 5% increase compared to the same period last year. The number of operated flights increased to 3 873, reflecting a 7% year-over-year growth. In the first quarter of 2025, airBaltic carried 994 987 passengers across all its bases, marking a 7.4% increase compared to the same period last year. These are the highest number of passengers the airline has ever recorded in the first three months of a year. Experiencing growing demand for its services, airBaltic will increase flight frequencies on 14 existing routes from the Baltics during this summer season (from late March to late October). The airline will also introduce new direct flights from Tallinn to Reykjavík (Iceland), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), and Tirana (Albania), as well as from Vilnius to Prague (the Czech Republic) and Tirana (Albania). Additionally, it will extend its seasonal service from Vilnius to Dusseldorf (Germany).
Travel Daily News
12-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
airBaltic sees strong demand for Business Class upgrade service
airBaltic's Business Class upgrade bidding service sees 7,500+ successful bids since December 2024, boosting revenue and enhancing passenger experience. RIGA – The Latvian airline airBaltic reports strong performance following the launch of its Business Class upgrade bidding service in December 2024, developed in partnership with Plusgrade, a global leader in ancillary revenue solutions. Since its introduction, over 7 500 passengers have successfully bid for upgrades, contributing a significant boost to revenue. Natālija Kuzmina, VP Customer Experience & Insights: 'Since the launch of our new upgrade service last year, we have seen a steady increase in Business Class passenger numbers. The service offers our customers greater flexibility in tailoring their travel experience and provides more passengers with access to premium options, while also enhancing our commercial performance. We are satisfied with our partnership with Plusgrade and look forward to expanding it with additional products in the future.' The Business Class upgrade process is simple – seven days before the flight, passengers will receive an invitation email if an upgrade is available on their route. They can then place and submit a bid. No later than twelve hours before the flight, passengers will be notified if their bid has been accepted. More details about the Business Class upgrade bidding service are available on airBaltic's website. The highest demand for the upgrade service has been observed on flights from Riga to Vienna (Austria), Paris (France), and Tallinn (Estonia). airBaltic offers Business Class on all of its scheduled flights. Business Class passengers can enjoy a comprehensive full-service package, including priority check-in and boarding, a front-of-cabin seat with a free seat for added privacy, a gourmet meal perfectly paired with a curated selection of premium beverages, and quicker disembarking upon arrival. Throughout the flight, a dedicated Business Class cabin crew ensures exceptional service. airBaltic operates nearly 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere, and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline's route network in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region.
Travel Daily News
06-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
airBaltic celebrates 20 years in Munich and Paris
Mantas Vrubliauskas, VP Network Management at airBaltic said: 'Munich has long been one of the cornerstones of our network, consistently ranking among our most demanded destinations with steadily increasing passenger numbers. As a gateway to Bavaria and a major European hub, it plays a vital role in serving both leisure and business travelers. We now serve Munich up to 21 times per week, making it easier than ever to travel between Southern Germany and the Baltic countries.' Oliver Dersch, SVP Aviation Munich Airport, commented: 'Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the airBaltic Riga-Munich flight, we are looking at a real success story of an excellent example airline-airport partnership in joint route development. Since 2005 more than 1.5 million people already benefited from the link between Latvia and the Bavarian gateways to the world. Over the years airBaltic has also added Vilnius and Tallinn to our network. Thank you airBaltic for 20 years of close friendship and partnership.' airBaltic connects Riga to Munich with up to two daily flights, providing its passengers with two service classes – Economy and Business Class. Furthermore, the airline also provides direct service from Munich to Tallinn (Estonia), and Vilnius (Lithuania), with up to five weekly flights operating between the both cities. Since the airline's first flight on this route in April 2005, airBaltic has carried more than 1.5 million passengers and operated over 17 thousnad flights between the two cities. In total, airBaltic operates flights from Riga to five destinations in Germany – Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich. Additionally, the airline offers over 10 direct routes connecting the Baltic States to various destinations in Germany, strengthening connectivity between the two regions. Two daily flights from airBaltic from Riga to Paris Also, airBaltic celebrates a remarkable milestone – 20 years of connecting its home base of Riga (Latvia) to Paris (France). For over two decades, the airline has provided travelers between the two countries with a diverse range of options for leisure, business, and onward connections.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
airBaltic CEO 'dismissed' from Latvian airline
Latvian Transport Minister Atis Svinka said on Monday that Riga-based carrier airBaltic had parted ways with its German-born longtime CEO Martin Gauss. "I inform you that Martin Gauss has been dismissed from his position. It is important for me to see results," Svinka said on social network X. The Latvian state has a majority stake in the carrier, which last month said it had posted a net loss of 118 million euros ($129 million) last year. "AirBaltic is a company of national importance, and it must be able to independently develop and adapt to external conditions," Svinka added. AirBaltic announced in January that additional engine maintenance demands would force the cancellation of more than 4,600 flights this year. The airline flies exclusively Airbus A220-300, which are equipped with modern fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney engines that have been found to be susceptible to microscopic cracks and require replacement ahead of schedule. Parts shortages mean several aircraft have to be taken out of service during the peak summer travel season. The transport ministry said in a statement that the decision regarding Gauss was taken by the supervisory board after Monday's shareholder meeting. The ministry said it "expressed its loss of confidence in" Gauss at the meeting, "calling for a vote to oust him from the job". Gauss had been with the airline for more than a decade. "Today, my journey as CEO of @airBaltic comes to an end," he wrote on X. "The Latvian government, as majority shareholder, has withdrawn its trust — and the Supervisory Board has acted accordingly," he said. The airline said in a statement on X that management board member and chief operating officer Pauls Calitis would take over as interim CEO. The chairman of the supervisory board, Andrejs Martinovs, said "core objectives remain unchanged, and airBaltic continues to implement its strategy and move forward toward a potential IPO". bur-amj/rl Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
07-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss steps down
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - The Chief Executive Officer for Latvian carrier airBaltic Martin Gauss has stepped down from his role, the company said on Monday, as the airline has repeatedly pushed back a planned initial public offering. Gauss, who is German, has held the position of CEO since 2011. The airline recently sold a 10% stake to German airline group Lufthansa ( opens new tab as it said it struggled with engine delivery delays and sought to push back its planned IPO to 2026. "Our core objectives remain unchanged, and airBaltic continues to implement its strategy and move forward toward a potential IPO," said Andrejs Martinovs, the chairman of the primarily state-owned airline's supervisory board. Pauls Calitis, the current chief operations officer, will take over as interim CEO, the company said in a statement.
