airBaltic receives first Airbus A220-300 aircraft planned for this year

  • 2021-05-03
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Latvian national airline airBaltic has welcomed the 26th Airbus A220-300 aircraft to its fleet in Riga today, Alise Briede, a representative of the airline, informed LETA.

The aircraft with registration number YL-AAZ is the first of seven Airbus A220-300 aircraft that airBaltic plans to receive this year. The airline has ordered a total of 50 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, but retains the opportunity to purchase another 30 aircraft of this type, explained Briede.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic, said that this year the airline is offering flights from the Baltic states on 96 routes, thus strengthening its position as the leading airline in the region.

"We see that as the level of vaccination in Europe is increasing, and the demand for leisure travel is also beginning to increase. Thus, to support our return to profit and growth in the future, we plan to have 32 Airbus A220-300 aircraft in our fleet by the end of 2021," said Gauss.

Since May 2020, airBaltic has operated all flights exclusively with Airbus A220-300 aircraft. This decision simplifies fleet maintenance as well as provides additional benefits in terms of aircraft efficiency.

As reported, airBaltic flew 1.34 million passengers in 2020, down 73 percent from 2019.

The Latvian state currently owns 96.14 percent in airBaltic, and a 3.86 percent stake in the airline belongs to Aircraft Leasing 1, a company owned by Danish businessman Lars Thuesen.