Yesterday, airBaltic shared some of the key facts and figures pertaining to its passenger operations in the month of February 2023. The month was a busy one for the carrier, especially compared to the same time last year. Indeed, its passenger numbers this time around were almost twice as high as back in February 2022.

On the up

While the start of the year can be relatively quiet in the aviation industry, holidays like Valentine's Day and the school half-term mean that February helps get carriers firing on all cylinders again after the January lull. This was certainly the case at airBaltic, which carried 232,800 passengers last month. Compared to February 2022's figure of 125,200, this represented an 86% increase. CEO Martin Gauss added:

"During the first two months of the year, we have carried close to half a million passengers. This is almost twice as many as last year, indicating strong growth for airBaltic. Also, we are looking forward to offering the largest number of new routes in a single season for the upcoming summer."

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airBaltic Airbus A220
Photo: Bjoern Wylezich/Shutterstock

The number of flights that airBatic operated in February also rose by 33%, from 1,920 in 2022 to 2,560 this time around. This has seen the average number of passengers per flight rise from 65 to 91, which itself is an increase of 40%.

Busier months ahead

With airBaltic having started the year strongly, it is well placed to foster further growth in the coming months. This is reflected in its ambitious summer schedule, which, as Gauss notes, features "the largest number of new routes in a single season." As it stands, airBaltic's network features over 70 destinations. Gauss adds:

"This expansion of the route network is already being reflected in the demand for the airline’s services, and we are confident of continuing to see growing numbers of carried passengers and operated flights in the coming months."

airBaltic Airbus A220 Front Profile
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

One way in which airBaltic has made its expectations of a busy summer very clear is through its recent agreement to wet lease four Airbus A320s from Avion Express. Two will come onboard along with another pair in May, with all four staying until October. With 180 seats, these offer 24.1% more capacity than its A220s.

Several reasons to be cheerful

Aside from its year-on-year growth in passenger numbers, airBaltic has also started the year on a positive note in terms of growing its fleet. This is because, in preparation for the delivery of its 40th Airbus A220 twinjet, the airline revealed that this aircraft would be the second one in its fleet to wear a special livery based on the Latvian flag. The plane is set to enter service with airBaltic next month.

Finally, the airline also revealed this morning that it had appointed a new Senior Vice President of Network Management. The role is to be taken on by Thomas Ramdahl, who will be hoping to leverage 22 years of aviation experience to build upon the growth under Wolfgang Reuss, who had held the position since 2015.

What do you make of airBaltic's February performance? Did you fly with the Latvian flag carrier last month? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

  • airBaltic A220
    airBaltic
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    BI/BTI
    Airline Type:
    Hybrid Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Riga International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1995
    CEO:
    Martin Gauss
    Country:
    Latvia