Latvian carrier announces additional flights

Published: 3/16/2000

Latvia's national carrier, Air Baltic, which is 38% owned by SAS, has reported a 12% increase in passenger volume, to 14,726, in February 2000, compared to February 1999 and representing a 10% increase compared to January 2000. The airline made 658 flights in February, down 1% on February 1999, but 11% up on January 2000. Air Baltic's load factor, at 40%, over the period, represented a 2% decline from the previous month. During February, the airline carried 46.1 tons of cargo, a 22% increase over February 1999. The airline has also announced that it intends to add extra flights to Copenhagen and Stockholm in its spring schedule. This will result in six daily flights on the route Riga-Copenhagen and four daily flights on the route Riga-Stockholm, including the daily SAS flight from Stockholm. The additional flights are in response to growth in passenger volume on these routes. Most passengers use the routes for connections to other destinations. Over the last year, Air Baltic has steadily improved its performance, having generated losses of 4m lats ($6.7m) in 1998. However, it still awaits the decision, on 26th March, of the Latvian government, on whether or not to revert to summer time. The airline claims that a negative decision would adversely affect its revenues.

Article ID: 1688