airBaltic carried 12 per cent more passengers in the first quarter of 2019

The airBaltic fleet currently consists of 36 aircraft, including 16 Airbus A220-300s (airBaltic)

During the first three months of 2019, Latvian airline airBaltic transported 818,100 passengers, or 12 per cent more than last year, across its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, the CIS and the Middle East.

Martin Gauss, chief executive, notes: “We are satisfied to see a double-digit growth, while modernising our fleet. In addition, we have been able to improve our service, offering more convenient connections for affordable prices.”

The airline’s load factor remains low at 62 per cent though, five per cent down year-on-year.

During the first quarter of 2019, airBaltic operated 12,740 flights, or 10 per cent more than last year, with the flight punctuality indicator reaching the high level of 89.9 per cent.

The airBaltic fleet currently consists of 36 aircraft: 16 Airbus A220-300s, eight Boeing 737s and 12 Bombardier Q400Next Gen aircraft, having added two more A220-300s (formerly known as the Bombardier CSeries 300), its workhorse, since the start of the year.