airBaltic is looking to continue its recovery into 2022. The airline certainly has the staff to back such a recovery, having hired almost 560 individuals during 2021. These employees were deployed across the business from maintenance to flight crew, with more expected to be needed in the coming year as new Airbus A220 deliveries continue.

2021 was generally a good year for aviation's recovery, with many airlines making considerable strides in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the arrival of the omicron variant did create some hiccups at the end of the year. However, the worst of these hiccups seem to have already passed.

559 new employees

Throughout 2021, airBaltic hired 559 employees. Of this figure, 162 were previous employees who had been let go due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The employees hired by the airline have gone on to be spread throughout the whole company.

239 ended up in the operations and maintenance department. Meanwhile, 174 are now cabin crew, and 62 are pilots. This means that the company has 1,558 employees. From this, we can see that the airline ended 2020 with 999 employees.

airBaltic, New Employees, Fully Vaccinated
162 employees returned to the company having been laid off during the height of the pandemic. Photo: airBaltic

All of the airline's existing employees and new hires are vaccinated or recovered against the COVID-19 virus. Having previously decided against such measures, the airline revealed that new hires would need to be vaccinated in May 2021. In mid-November, the Riga-based carrier announced that it had reached a point where 100% of its staff were vaccinated or recovered.

Commenting on the airline's 2021 employee growth, the airline's CEO, Martin Gauss, remarked,

"Last year we were able to hire a total of 559 motivated professionals to our team. It most certainly has helped Latvia on its path to recovery from the economic effects of the pandemic. As more aircraft join our fleet this year, we will require additional staff going forward."

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Further growth this year

airBaltic will be continuing its growth drive throughout 2022. Right now, the airline has vacancies for 40 additional members of staff, with 400 open positions expected throughout the year.

airBaltic, New Employees, Fully Vaccinated
airBaltic hired nearly 560 employees last year but is still looking for additional staff to cater to the increasing operations and the possibility of staff falling ill. Photo: airBaltic

The Riga-based airline is looking to expand its facilities around the Airbus A220. The carrier has 18 outstanding orders for the Airbus narrowbody. Alongside a new base set to open in Finland, the airline is also seeking to become a center of maintenance for the A220 alongside offering training for the aircraft.

With the A220 being the only aircraft in the airBaltic fleet, the airline is seeking to become a one-stop shop for other aircraft operators. While the airline has the ability to focus all efforts on the aircraft, it wouldn't make sense for an operator where the A220 is only a small part of the airline's fleet to do so.

Have you flown on an airBaltic Airbus A220? Let us know how you found it in the comments below.