airBaltic to restart flights from all three Baltic capitals

airBaltic will return to the skies with a monotype fleet of 22 Airbus A220s (airBaltic)

After two full months on the ground, Latvia’s hybrid airline airBaltic is to restart direct flights from all three of the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius.

After receiving all of the necessary permissions, from May 18, the Baltic region’s largest carrier will resume direct flights from Riga to Tallinn and Vilnius and from Tallinn to Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Oslo and, as of May 25, from Tallinn to Vilnius.

“We provide the best connectivity to and from the Baltics and we are returning with a clear target to maintain our status in the region. By focusing on an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet, we are well positioned for the restart,” insists Martin Gauss, chief executive of airBaltic, which will return to the skies with a monotype fleet of 22 Airbus A220-300 (formerly the Bombardier CS300) aircraft.

To limit the spread of the virus, airBaltic is implementing several new health-care measures. Before the security check at the Riga Airport home base, passengers with a body temperature above 37.8°C will be denied boarding. Aircraft cabin disinfections will be performed with increased regularity, and all passengers on board airBaltic aircraft will be provided with a complimentary basic PPE care kit consisting of a protective face mask and disinfection wipes. Passengers and all crew members will be required to wear a protective face mask throughout the flight and cabin crew members will also wear gloves.

Earlier this month, the cabinet of ministers of the Republic of Latvia, which is the majority shareholder in airBaltic, approved an additional equity investment in the carrier of up to €250 million in order to help it survive the COVID-19 crisis. As a consequence, the Latvian state’s shareholding in airBaltic will increase from the current 80.05 to 91 per cent. Currently, apart from the Latvian state, Danish businessman Lars Thuesen holds around 20 per cent of the airline.