The flag carrier of Latvia, airBaltic announced its own joy-ride flights to nowhere out of Riga Airport (RIX), landing at RIX after a one and a half hour flight.
The flight, to be carried out by the airline’s Airbus A220-300 aircraft, is planned to depart on October 25, 2020. Organized together with a local tour agency, tickets start at €159 ($187). However, as of 17:11 local time (UTC +3), the flight is mostly sold out.
airBaltic, which is celebrating its 25th birthday, will also bring traditional four rounds of traditional Latvian dishes onboard, including soft drinks to enjoy throughout the meal. If the weather conditions permit, the aircraft will fly as low as 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) in order to provide the best view to passengers on the A220. As a finishing touch, travelers will be able to see the sunset over the Baltic Sea.
“It is clear that people lack travel and flying experience. We appreciate the Balt-Go initiative, which is organizing a flight that will allow passengers to enjoy the best that flying can offer,” stated Martin Gauss, the chief executive of the Riga-based airline.
The flights-to-nowhere trend, which started largely in Asia-Pacific with airlines such as Taiwan’s EVA Air or Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), lets passengers experience flying despite international borders staying shut due to the current pandemic. While the flights have gathered their fair share of critics, they have shot up in popularity, selling out instantly. Qantas’ own flight-to-nowhere, taking passengers on a journey throughout Australia, sold out within 10 minutes.
Some airlines have elected other options. For example, Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) has opted for a dining experience onboard their flagship Airbus A380 aircraft, providing a much more environmentally-friendly attraction for its passengers.