airBaltic carried 22 per cent more passengers in the first 10 months of 2019

airBaltic aims to be an all-A220-300 operator by the end of 2022 (airBaltic)

Latvian hybrid airline airBaltic transported a total of 4.34 million passengers during the first 10 months of 2019, 22 per cent more than in the same period of last year, as it continued its fleet modernisation programme.

In October alone, some 470,360 passengers travelled with the Riga-based airline, also a 22 per cent year-on-year improvement. Martin Gauss, chief executive of airBaltic enthuses: “In October, we further improved our operational results with record high numbers and we have seen additional growth at Riga. Having such a strong role in the Baltic region helps us significantly in improving our efficiency –and by using the brand-new Airbus A220-300 we are able to offer better connectivity and more affordable prices for our customers.”

In the January-October period the airline operated 53,458 flights and, in October, operated 5,679 flights, 11 per cent more than in October 2018. The airline’s load factor during the first 10 months of 2019 was at a level 77 per cent.

This growth came as the airline continued with the renewal of its fleet as airBaltic phased-out three of its eight Boeing 737 Classics, and plans to add two more new Airbus A220-300 aircraft (formerly the Bombardier CS300) by the end of 2019. As a result, its fleet currently consists of 37 aircraft: 20 Airbus A220s, five Boeing 737s and 12 Bombardier Q400 turboprops.

The airline aims to be an all-A220-300 operator by the end of 2022.

airBaltic serves more than 70 destinations from the three Baltic state capital cities of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, thereby offering the largest range of destinations and connections to its network which spans Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.