Riga International Airport CEO Jurjevs stands down

RIGA - Armands Jurjevs, who took office as Riga International Airport CEO at the end of October 2016, is standing down, BNS was told at the company.

Jurjevs tendered his resignation letter today.

Other members of the airport’s management board carry on with their work, ensuring that the airport’s operations continue uninterrupted.

Juris Kanelis, chairman of the Riga International Airport supervisory board, told BNS that Jurjevs’ resignation came as a surprise to him and that he had no idea as to what caused the airport’s CEO to quit his job. The airport’s supervisory board will convene for an extraordinary meeting tomorrow, January 13, to appoint an acting CEO and decide on announcing a tender to pick a new head for the airport.

Transport Minister Uldis Augulis (Greens/Farmers) and the ministry’s assistant state secretary Dzineta Innusa who holds the airport’s shares on behalf of the government, did not know the reason for Jurjevs’ resignation either.

As reported, Jurjevs was appointed Riga International Airport CEO at the end of October 2016.

Jurjevs boasts more than 20 years of international business experience. According to Firmas.lv business database, Jurjevs is the sole owner and board member of Athena Consulting, the sole board member of Mediate company, a co-owner and board member of AA Partneri company, and works in the management of the Latvian Business Angels Network and the board chairman of the to-be liquidated French Gastronomy Club.

The name of some Armands Jurjevs is also mentioned in the so-called Panama Papers as a shareholder of Kingsrose Books Corporation company registered in the Virgin Islands.

Fully-owned by the Latvian state, Riga International Airport is the largest air traffic hub in the Baltic states. The airport’s turnover in 2015 was EUR 49,090,248, up 10 percent from 2014, while the airport’s profit reached EUR 1,150,876.