At the end of December 2025, the Latvian airlineย airBalticย welcomed its newestย Airbusย A220-300ย jet, registered as YL-BTB, in Riga.ย This is the third aircraft delivered toย airBalticย in 2025 and the 52nd of this type overall.
The newest jet strengthensย airBalticโsย Airbus A220-300ย fleet, which operates across the airlineโs route network, connecting passengers to a wide range of destinations. The aircraft is also used in cooperation with partners in other European markets through ACMI services. This flexible approach allowsย airBalticย to adjust capacity as needed and make efficient use of its fleet throughout the year, taking seasonal demand into account.
Since the introduction ofย Airbus A220-300ย into its fleet in 2016,ย airBalticย has carried more than 23 million passengers on theย Airbus A220-300, operated approximately 241 000 flights, and logged over 530 000 flight hours, demonstrating the suitability of this aircraft type for both shorter and longer routes.
More airline news:
RSS Error: Retrieved unsupported status code "404"
airBaltic has announced frequency increases on more than 30 existing routes across the Baltics for the Summer 2026 season. The airline will increase frequencies on 20 routes from Riga (Latvia), four from Tallinn (Estonia) and seven from Vilnius (Lithuania). This expansion will offer passengers more convenient travel choices and improved connectivity.
For the upcoming summer season, airBaltic will launch ten new routes from the Baltic capitals. From Riga, flights will operate to Antalya (Turkey), Gothenburg (Sweden), Kaunas (Lithuania), Oulu (Finland), and Warsaw (Poland). From Tallinn, the airline will launch flights to Athens (Greece), Hamburg (Germany), and Vienna (Austria), while from Vilnius, new flights will connect to Chisinau (Moldova) and Zurich (Switzerland).
airBaltic will also resume four routes โ from Riga to Aberdeen (United Kingdom), Belgrade (Serbia), and Yerevan (Armenia), and from Tallinn to Oslo (Norway). The new routes and frequency increases will provide passengers with more travel opportunities and greater flexibility when planning business or leisure trips.
This expansion will increase seat capacity across all three Baltic States โ 12% in Riga with more than 400 thousand additional seats, 11% in Tallinn with over 90 thousand additional seats, and 21% in Lithuania (Vilnius, Palanga and Kaunas) with more than 150 thousand additional seats.
airBalticย will host an online Open Day forย SmartLynxย Airlinesย employees on December 10, 2025, at 11:00 (Riga time). During the online session, aviation professionals will be able to connect with theย airBalticย HR Team to learn about current employment opportunities within the company and receive an overview of the recruitment process.
The Open Day session will introduce the current career opportunities available across variousย airBalticโsย departments, including flight crew (pilots and cabin crew), technical and operations departments, as well as several office vacancies such as IT, E-Commerce, Revenue Management, HR, and Finance.ย
On December 1, 2025, the Latvian national airlineย airBalticย welcomed its 51stย Airbusย A220-300ย jet, registered as YL-BTA, in Riga.ย This is the secondย aircraft of the typeย delivered toย airBalticย in 2025.ย Thus far, the airlineโsย A220-300ย fleet has carried more than 23 162 000 passengers, completed nearly 241 000 flights and flown 530 000 block hours.
Since May 2020,ย airBalticย operates all its flights with a single aircraft type โย Airbus A220-300, thus minimizing the complexity and benefiting from the additional efficiency provided by the aircraft.
Theย Airbus A220-300ย has performed beyond the companyโs expectations, delivering better overall performance, fuel efficiency and convenience for both passengers and the staff.ย This aircraft offers an excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and much more.ย
The airline is also gradually equipping its fleet with free high-speedย SpaceX Starlinkย internet, becoming the first European carrier to offer this service.
The Latvian airline airBaltic informs that as of today, December 1, 2025, Erno Hildรฉn starts his dutiesas Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.
Erno Hildรฉn, CEO of airBaltic: โI am honored to join the airBaltic team. Together with the Executive Board and our teams, I will focus on ensuring continuity, strengthening day-to-day operations, and supporting the airlineโs strategic development and long-term sustainability. airBaltic plays a vital role in the connectivity and economic development of the Baltic region, and I look forward to applying my extensive experience to support its next phase.โ
Mr. Hildรฉn, a Finnish national, brings more than 25 years of international experience in aviation and finance. Until June 2025 he served as Executive Vice President and Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SAS Scandinavian Airlines, where he has been a key member of the leadership team during the companyโs transformation and capital raise. Before joining SAS, he held senior roles at Saudi Arabian Airlines Group and at Finnair Plc, where he served as Group CFO, Chief Operating Officer (COO), and a member of the Executive Board.
The Interim CEO Pauls Cฤlฤซtis, who led airBaltic until this date, will now fully return to his duties as COO and a member of the Executive Board.
In honor of the 107th anniversary of the Republic of Latvia, the Latvian airline airBaltic today participated in ceremonial parade with a special flyover along the 11th November Embankment by its Airbus A220-300 aircraft (registration number YL-CSL) painted in the red-white-red colors of the Latvian flag.
This was the sixth time (previously in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024) that airBaltic has participated in the national holiday ceremonial parade. The aircraft was flown by experienced and highly qualified Latvian pilots on this honorable occasion. To capture this flyover from multiple perspectives, airBaltic Content Team were positioned on board the aircraft, at the 11th November Embankment, and in the tower of St. Peterโs Church.
In 2018, as part of Latvia’s centenary celebrations, airBaltic presented Latvia with a unique gift โ an Airbus A220-300 aircraft in a special red-and-white Latvian flag color scheme. Additionally, in April 2023, the airline received its 40thAirbus A220-300 aircraft, also painted in the colors of the Latvian flag. And, in February 2025, airBaltic welcomed its 50thAirbus of the same type. It features an artistic livery inspired by the Latvian flag, complemented by unique design motifs representing all three Baltic States โ Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.Currently, airBalticโs fleet includes two aircraft whose liveries are designed as the Latvian flag, and one featuring elements of Latvian national symbolism.
airBaltic has unveiled its 50thย Airbus A220-300, freshly painted at theย Airbusย facility in Mirabel, Canada. This aircraft features an artistic portrayal of the Latvian flag and unique livery elements representing all three Baltic States โ Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. The specially paintedย A220-300ย is set to join theย airBalticย fleet in February 2025.
In late 2023, airBaltic launched an exciting design contest, inviting global participation in creating the livery for its milestone 50th Airbus A220-300. A total of 840 entries were submitted, and following voting by over 28 000 airBaltic Clubloyalty program members, 21 designs were shortlisted. The top three designs all were acquired by airBaltic and represented national or Baltic region heritage, with the winning design receiving over 30% of the total shortlisted design votes.
This striking livery portrays an artistic depiction of a girl soaring through the clouds with long, flowing hair crowned by a traditional wreath and proudly featuring the Latvian flag. The design also incorporates several other elements that are inspired by the rich heritage and nature of the Baltic region โ a ladybug, a swallow, and a stork. The final sketch of the design was modified and redesigned by airBaltic to meet the technical requirements of the aircraft.
The painting of this A220-300 livery was completed over an 18-day period. A total of 21 colors were used to bring this design to life, and for the first time ever, a stencil overlay technique was used to layer colours by the Airbus A220 paintshop teams in Mirabel, Canada.
airBaltic has announced the launch of direct flights between Tampere, Finland and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Starting today, flights will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, and will continue until October.
Currently,ย airBalticย operates eight direct routes from Tampere to European destinations. This year, the airline plans to add 17 new routes from all its bases and has expanded its network to include seven new countries in the Balkan region.
In 2024,ย airBalticย will connect Finland with direct flights to 10 destinations and offer one-stop connections to more than 70 destinations in its network.
The new flights will be operated byย Airbus A220-300ย aircraft.
In other news, the airline issued this statement:
As the Latvian national airline,ย airBalticย prepares to publish its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, preliminary data already points to a strong performance.ย airBalticย continues to demonstrate operational excellence and confident business indicators, building on its recordย results for the full year of 2023. According toย preliminary indicators,ย total revenue for Q1 is expected to reach approximately EUR 132 million, an increase of 26% as compared to the corresponding period of 2023 and the highest ever in Q1 for the airline. Passenger numbers increased by 20% compared to the first quarter of 2023 โ another historical high for Q1 forย airBaltic.
Significant improvements were also seen inย airBalticโsย overall operational capacity, as evidenced by a 30% increase in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) to 1.9 billion, compared to 1.5 billion in Q1 2023. The airline’s load factor has improved to 75.9% from 71%, also the best ever performance in Q1 record. Total flights, including ACMI, rose to 12.3 thousand in Q1 2024, up from 11.4 thousand in the same quarter the previous year, an 8% increase.
airBalticย plans to announce full financial results of the first three months will be presented on 22ndย of May, 2024, during an investor call, and afterwards the information will be available on the companyโs website.
airBaltic, in the presence of the airline andย RIX RIGA Airportย representatives, and the Slovenian Ambassador to Latvia, on April 25 launched direct flights between Riga and Ljubljana. This new service connects the two cities with two weekly flights, enhancing travel options between Latvia and Slovenia.
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, combines rich history with vibrant modernity, making it a captivating European destination. Nestled between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, it features picturesque landscapes and the iconic Ljubljanica River flowing through its center. The city showcases a blend of historic architecture and contemporary urban spaces. As a cultural hub, Ljubljana is filled with museums, galleries, and theaters, enhanced by lively cafes and traditional eateries. Recognized for its sustainable urban development, Ljubljana offers a warm welcome and a memorable experience to visitors worldwide.
Flights between Riga and Ljubljana are scheduled to take 2 hours and 15 minutes.ย
During theย summer season 2024,ย airBalticย will offer 15 new routes from the Baltics and Tampere.
Among the most popular airBaltic destinations for the past summer season were Malaga, Barcelona and Lisbon.
Scheduled flights between Riga and all three leisure destinations will continue to be operated also during the upcoming winter season.
airBaltic will launch direct flights from Riga to Marrakesh (Morocco) on October 31 and to Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) on November 1. The airline will continue to perform four weekly flights to Dubai and six weekly flights to Tenerife in addition to other leisure destinations in airBaltic network.
You must be logged in to post a comment.