In brief - 2005-03-02

  • 2005-03-02
Latvia's competition watchdog will look into whether attempts by low-cost airline Ryanair to recruit airBaltic pilots meet fair competition standards. Peteris Vilks, head of the Competition Council, said "We received a request from airBaltic to look into this case, and the inspection is already underwa." He could not say, however, when ithe investigation would be completed, but predicted between 20 days and four months. Ryanair published an advertisement announcing a "pilot luring day in Riga 's the native city of airBaltic national carrier" on Feb. 23. The Irish airline also promised pilots employment opportunities. Ryanair planes started flying from Riga to London, Frankfurt and Tampere on Oct. 31, 2004, and the company has just opened a connection to Stockholm.

Riga International Airport, which is hoping to serve about 2 million passengers this year, has planned new flights for existing and future routes, Transport Minister Ainars Slesers said. Routes could be opened to Gothenburg, in addition to Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham. Flights could also be launched to Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, Dubai, Tbilisi, Baku, Almaty, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and other cities in Russia. Slesers noted that direct connections from the Latvian capital to cities within a three-hour range were also possible, adding that Asia was another possible destination, and that new flights could cover existing routes. "I think that not only the direction but also the amount of flights is important," the minister explained. Currently the state-run airport serves direct flights to more than 20 cities, mostly in Europe.

Gintarines Avialinijos, Lithuania's regional charter carrier, has changed its name to Amber Air. "We intend to expand our business and offer flights to foreign destinations, that's why the name needs to be clear for foreigners," said CEO Romas Gegznas. The airline acquired a 34-seat Saab 340 late last year, and would continue to expand its fleet, Gegznas said. The Kaunas-based company, which was set up in June 2004, is controlled by a group from Germany, Holland and the UK.