AirBaltic
Encyclopedia
A/S Air Baltic Corporation, operating as AirBaltic and styled as airBaltic, is the Latvia
n flag carrier
airline
and a low-cost carrier
, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport
in Mārupe municipality
, near the capital, Riga
. Its main hub
is at Riga International Airport
.
AirBaltic is the first national flag carrier airline
marketed as a low-cost airline
.
, at Riga, and that afternoon, the plane made the first passenger flight for Air Baltic.
In 1996, the airline's first Avro RJ70
was delivered; and Air Baltic joined the SAS frequent flier club as a partner. 1997 saw the opening of a cargo department and, in 1998, the airline's first Fokker 50 plane was delivered. The adopted livery
was mainly white, with the name of the airline written in blue on the forward fuselage
, the 'B' logo being heavily stylized in blue checks. The checker blue pattern was repeated on the aircraft tailfin
.
In 1999, Air Baltic became a joint stock company
; it was previously a limited liability company
. All of their Saab 340s were replaced by Fokker 50s. By September, the airline had begun operating under the European Aviation Operating Standards, or JAR ops. Air Baltic welcomed the new millennium by introducing new uniforms and opening a cargo center at Riga's airport.
The first Boeing 737-500
joined the fleet in 2003, and on 1 June 2004, Air Baltic launched services from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius
, initially to five destinations. In October 2004, Air Baltic was rebranded as AirBaltic. Their present livery consists of an all-white fuselage and lime
tailfin. AirBaltic.com is displayed on the forward upper fuselage, and the word "Baltic" is repeated in blue on the lower part of the tailfin. In December 2006, the first Boeing 737-300 joined the fleet and was configured with winglet
s. In July 2007, AirBaltic introduced an online check-in system. It was the first online check-in system in the Baltic states. In Spring 2008, two long-haul Boeing 757
joined the existing AirBaltic fleet. On 10 March 2008, it was announced that in the next three years the airline would acquire new aircraft, experiencing the largest fleet expansion in the company's history. The new additions will be next generation Q400 aircraft.
AirBaltic previously had strong links with SAS, which owned 47.2% of the airline until January 2009. It operates frequent flights to SAS hubs in Copenhagen
, Oslo
and Stockholm
. The airline formerly used the SAS EuroBonus frequent flyer programme, but now has its own: BalticMiles. Some products and services are still shared with SAS, including coordinated timetabling and shared airport lounges. AirBaltic is not a member of any airline alliance
. At the moment, however, codeshare agreements are in place with several Star Alliance airlines and others.
It previously had secondary hubs at Vilnius International Airport
and Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport. The majority of the routes commenced from Tallinn were cancelled shortly after opening, leading to complaints from the Estonian Consumer Protection Department. On 23 September 2010, AirBaltic made an announcement to establish a new secondary hub at Oulu Airport
. In 2011 the plans of the hub at Oulu Airport are probably cancelled said the director of Finavia in Finland.
As at December 2010, AirBaltic employed 1443 people.
(President and CEO) until December 2010, when 50% of BAS shares were transferred to Taurus Asset Management Fund Limited, registered in the Bahamas.
In August 2011, airBaltic has requested more than 60 million lats in capital as its losses continued to mount, and has suffered speculation about its financial position and political scandals throughout 2011. In mid September 2011, the company announced plans to lay-off around half its employees and cancel around 700 flights a month to avoid possible grounding. The company also announced that a mystery investor was willing to pay 9.6 million euros for additional 59,110 shares. On 4 October 2011, the plans were annulled in order to make the necessary investments in the airline's capital. The government of Latvia and Baltijas aviācijas sistēmas Ltd. agreed to invest around 100 million lats in the airline's share capital in proportion to their stakes in airBaltic. In connection with the agreement, Bertolt Flick stepped down as long-term President and CEO of the airline. Martin Gauss, former CEO of Hungarian airline Malev
, became the new CEO of AirBaltic.
AirBaltic operates 72 direct flights from Riga (some of them are seasonal), 2 from Vilnius, 2 from Tallinn, as well as non-stop flights on the routes Bergen–Stavanger, Kuopio–Tampere, Kuopio–Lappeenranta, Kuusamo–Lappeenranta, Oulu–Turku, Oulu–Stockholm, Rovaniemi–Tampere, Vaasa–Umeå.
, Gdansk
and Bari
.
menu offering food and drinks for purchase.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
and a low-cost carrier
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport
Riga International Airport
-Cargo airlines:*DHL Express*Inversija*RAF-Avia*Sprintair*TNT NV*Transavibaltika*UPS-Traffic statistics:Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepāja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is...
in Mārupe municipality
Mārupe municipality
Mārupe municipality is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by reorganization of Mārupe parish the administrative centre being Mārupe....
, near the capital, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. Its main hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
is at Riga International Airport
Riga International Airport
-Cargo airlines:*DHL Express*Inversija*RAF-Avia*Sprintair*TNT NV*Transavibaltika*UPS-Traffic statistics:Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepāja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is...
.
AirBaltic is the first national flag carrier airline
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
marketed as a low-cost airline
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
.
History
The airline was established on 28 August 1995 with the signing of a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and the Latvian state. Operations started on 1 October 1995 with the arrival of the first Air Baltic aircraft, a Saab 340Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
, at Riga, and that afternoon, the plane made the first passenger flight for Air Baltic.
In 1996, the airline's first Avro RJ70
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
was delivered; and Air Baltic joined the SAS frequent flier club as a partner. 1997 saw the opening of a cargo department and, in 1998, the airline's first Fokker 50 plane was delivered. The adopted livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
was mainly white, with the name of the airline written in blue on the forward fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, the 'B' logo being heavily stylized in blue checks. The checker blue pattern was repeated on the aircraft tailfin
Tailfin
The tailfin era of automobile styling encompassed the 1950s and 1960s, peaking between 1957 and 1960. It was a style that spread worldwide, as car designers picked up styling trends from the US automobile industry where it was the golden epoch of American autodesign.General Motors design chief...
.
In 1999, Air Baltic became a joint stock company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
; it was previously a limited liability company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
. All of their Saab 340s were replaced by Fokker 50s. By September, the airline had begun operating under the European Aviation Operating Standards, or JAR ops. Air Baltic welcomed the new millennium by introducing new uniforms and opening a cargo center at Riga's airport.
The first Boeing 737-500
Boeing 737 Classic
The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
joined the fleet in 2003, and on 1 June 2004, Air Baltic launched services from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, initially to five destinations. In October 2004, Air Baltic was rebranded as AirBaltic. Their present livery consists of an all-white fuselage and lime
Lime (color)
Lime, also traditionally known as lime green or lime-green, is a color three-quarters of the way between yellow and green , so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit called limes...
tailfin. AirBaltic.com is displayed on the forward upper fuselage, and the word "Baltic" is repeated in blue on the lower part of the tailfin. In December 2006, the first Boeing 737-300 joined the fleet and was configured with winglet
Winglet
Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft. There are several types of wingtip devices, and though they function in different manners, the intended effect is always to reduce the aircraft's drag by partial recovery of the tip vortex energy...
s. In July 2007, AirBaltic introduced an online check-in system. It was the first online check-in system in the Baltic states. In Spring 2008, two long-haul Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
joined the existing AirBaltic fleet. On 10 March 2008, it was announced that in the next three years the airline would acquire new aircraft, experiencing the largest fleet expansion in the company's history. The new additions will be next generation Q400 aircraft.
AirBaltic previously had strong links with SAS, which owned 47.2% of the airline until January 2009. It operates frequent flights to SAS hubs in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. The airline formerly used the SAS EuroBonus frequent flyer programme, but now has its own: BalticMiles. Some products and services are still shared with SAS, including coordinated timetabling and shared airport lounges. AirBaltic is not a member of any airline alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
. At the moment, however, codeshare agreements are in place with several Star Alliance airlines and others.
It previously had secondary hubs at Vilnius International Airport
Vilnius International Airport
Vilnius International Airport is the largest civil airport in Lithuania. It is located south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It began operations in 1944. The old terminal was built in 1954.- History:...
and Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport. The majority of the routes commenced from Tallinn were cancelled shortly after opening, leading to complaints from the Estonian Consumer Protection Department. On 23 September 2010, AirBaltic made an announcement to establish a new secondary hub at Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport is located in the municipality of Oulunsalo, Finland, south-west of Oulu city centre. The airport is the second busiest in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa airport, as measured by the number of passengers and the amount of freight transported. There are around twenty daily flights to...
. In 2011 the plans of the hub at Oulu Airport are probably cancelled said the director of Finavia in Finland.
As at December 2010, AirBaltic employed 1443 people.
Ownership and financial problems in 2011
In January 2009, SAS sold its entire stake in the company (47.2% of the airline) to Baltijas aviācijas sistēmas Ltd (BAS) for 14 million lats. BAS was wholly owned by Bertolt FlickBertolt Flick
Bertolt Martin Flick is a German businessman, the former president and CEO of airBaltic airline.He has a law degree from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. In 1995 Flick became a member of airBaltic's Supervisory Board and in 1999 he was elected the Chairman of the Board...
(President and CEO) until December 2010, when 50% of BAS shares were transferred to Taurus Asset Management Fund Limited, registered in the Bahamas.
In August 2011, airBaltic has requested more than 60 million lats in capital as its losses continued to mount, and has suffered speculation about its financial position and political scandals throughout 2011. In mid September 2011, the company announced plans to lay-off around half its employees and cancel around 700 flights a month to avoid possible grounding. The company also announced that a mystery investor was willing to pay 9.6 million euros for additional 59,110 shares. On 4 October 2011, the plans were annulled in order to make the necessary investments in the airline's capital. The government of Latvia and Baltijas aviācijas sistēmas Ltd. agreed to invest around 100 million lats in the airline's share capital in proportion to their stakes in airBaltic. In connection with the agreement, Bertolt Flick stepped down as long-term President and CEO of the airline. Martin Gauss, former CEO of Hungarian airline Malev
Malév Hungarian Airlines
Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22...
, became the new CEO of AirBaltic.
Destinations
AirBaltic operates 72 direct flights from Riga (some of them are seasonal), 2 from Vilnius, 2 from Tallinn, as well as non-stop flights on the routes Bergen–Stavanger, Kuopio–Tampere, Kuopio–Lappeenranta, Kuusamo–Lappeenranta, Oulu–Turku, Oulu–Stockholm, Rovaniemi–Tampere, Vaasa–Umeå.
Codeshare agreements
AirBaltic has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
|
Brussels Airlines Brussels Airlines is a flag carrier airline headquartered in the b.house on the grounds of Brussels Airport and in Diegem, Machelen, Belgium and a subsidiary of Lufthansa. It is the largest airline based in Belgium, operating to over 65 destinations in 20 European countries as well as long-haul... (Star Alliance Star Alliance Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines... ) Georgian Airways Georgian Airways is the national airline of Georgia based in the capital, Tbilisi. It is a privately owned airline operating services from Georgia to destinations mainly in Europe and Western Asia. It is based at the Tbilisi International Airport.... SkyTeam SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands... ) Malév Hungarian Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22... (Oneworld Oneworld Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific... ) Moldavian Airlines Moldavian Airlines is an airline based at Chişinău in Moldova. It operates scheduled international services from Chişinău to destinations in Europe... Rossiya (airline) Rossiya Airlines OJSC , operating as Rossiya — Russian Airlines is a secondary national airline with its head office in Saint Petersburg, Russia, resulting from the 2006 merger of the Moscow-based company of the same name and Saint Petersburg-based Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise... |
Star Alliance Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines... ) Skyways Express Skyways is an airline that operates regional and domestic scheduled services. Based in Linköping, Sweden, its main hub is at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.- History :... Spanair Spanair is a Spanish airline, with its head office in the Spanair Building in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona. It was, until 2009, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, which now holds slightly under 20% of the company. Spanair provides a scheduled passenger network within Spain and... (Star Alliance Star Alliance Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines... ) Transaero OJSC Transaero Airlines or simply Transaero is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International Airport, Domodedovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations... |
Awards
The Latvian airline airBaltic was chosen for anna.aero ANNIES Award in 2010 as Europe's largest flag carrier by new routes. In Europe, CIS and the Middle East airBaltic has operated 27 routes more in the summer season of 2010, compared to summer 2009. In the summer season of 2011 airBaltic announced three new destinations – BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
.
Inflight services
On some flights, AirBaltic offers a buy on boardBuy on board
In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
menu offering food and drinks for purchase.
Current
As of January 2011, the AirBaltic fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 16 years:| Aircraft | Photo | In Service | Orders Options |
Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300SP | 8 | — | 142/144/146 | |
| Boeing 737-500 |  |
6 | — | 120 |
| Boeing 757-200WL (One available for wet-lease for transatlantic flights during winter period) |
 |
2 | — | 200 |
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 NextGen | 8 | 4 | 76 | |
| Fokker F50 Fokker F50 The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as a refinement of and successor to the highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were built by Fokker in the Netherlands... (All to leave during 3rd and 4th quarter 2011) |
9 | — | 46/50/52 | |
| Total | 33 | 4 |
Retired fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Saab 340 Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio... |
2 | 1995–1999 |
| Avro RJ70 | 3 | 1996–2005 |
| Boeing 737-500 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
5 | 2003–2010 |
| Fokker 50 Fokker F50 The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as a refinement of and successor to the highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were built by Fokker in the Netherlands... |
1 | 2005–2006 (All to be phased out starting with 5 from October 2011) |