Number of passengers served at Riga Airport remains flat in January-September

RIGA - Riga Airport served 5.32 million passengers in the first nine months of this year, which is the same as during the respective period last year, the airport informed LETA.

In the first nine months of this year, the airport handled 48,800 flights, which is 2 percent more than during the same period a year ago, while the volume of air cargo handled increased by 46 percent to 20,700 tons.

The airport notes that the proportion of transit and transfer passengers in the first nine months of this year has increased from 20 percent to 22 percent compared to the same period last year.

In September 2026, Riga Airport served 623,400 passengers, which is two percent more than in July 2025. This past July, 25 percent of passengers used Riga as a connecting airport.

In September of this year, Riga Airport handled 623,400 passengers and 5,693 flights, which is on par with last year’s levels. Meanwhile, cargo traffic continued to grow in September, reaching 1,997 tons, a 19 percent increase compared to September of last year. The average load factor in September remained stable at 78 percent.

The airport added that Latvia’s national airline airBaltic, carried 4 percent more passengers in the first three quarters of this year than in the same period last year, Polish airline LOT, by increasing flight frequency on the Warsaw-Riga route, has increased its passenger numbers by 21 percent since the beginning of the year, while the number of passengers served by Turkish Airlines in Riga has increased by 10 percent, and Finnair served 9 percent more. Meanwhile, Irish low-cost airline Ryanair served 17 percent fewer passengers in the first nine months of this year than in the same period last year.

As reported, Riga Airport handled 7.111 million passengers last year, which is at the same level as in 2024. but nine percent less than in 2019, or before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The airport handled 63,155 flights last year, which is about as many as in 2024, while handling of air cargo increased by seven percent year-on-year to 20,147 tons.

Riga Airport is the largest air traffic hub in the Baltic countries.