Company briefs - 2011-09-01

In the first seven months of the year, the Port of Tallinn handled the largest volume of cargo out of the Baltics’ largest ports, which was followed by the Port of Klaipeda in Lithuania and the Port of Riga, reports Nozare.lv. The Port of Tallinn has seen five percent growth in cargo volumes handled when compared to the first seven months of last year, to 22.09 million tons. The Port of Klaipeda registered 23 percent growth on last year, with 21.45 million tons of cargo handled in the first seven months of the year. The Freeport of Riga handled 20 million tons of cargo in the first seven months, which is 15.8 percent more when compared to last year.

In the first five months of 2011, Riga International Airport operated with 1.8 million lats (2.5 million euros) in profit, the airport’s chairman, Arnis Luhse, said, reports Latvijas Avize. The airport’s losses in 2010 amounted to 3.5 million lats, however, this year, the airport managed to conclude January-May with a profit. In the first seven months of 2011, the airport serviced three million passengers, compared to 4.6 million over the entire last year. He is skeptical, though, about past plans to service 20 million passengers per year. Luhse predicts that the number of airport passengers could reach seven million or even 12 million in the next five years, but “if a miracle happens and the Chinese begin to fly through Riga to Europe.”