Latvian flag-carrier airBaltic has leased a Boeing 737-900ER aircraft on an ACMI basis from Ukraine International Airlines (UIA).
The wet-leased aircraft will be used for flights within the airBaltic network beginning May 1, 2022. The decision to wet-lease additional aircraft short-term came due to the “impact caused by the global supply chain issues”. The Boeing 737-900ER from UIA will enable the carrier to ensure its planned flight schedule, according to airBaltic.
“It is now a very challenging time for the Ukrainian people and their national airline,” Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic said. “By temporarily wet leasing their aircraft, we are also providing short term work to the employees of Ukraine International Airlines.”
The news about the wet-lease contract comes just weeks after the Latvian airline said it would wet-lease a portion of its A220s to other airlines for summer 2022, as the carrier was forced to cease operations in Ukraine and Russia over the ongoing war.
The Latvian airline has already signed contracts for nine A220s to be leased on an ACMI basis to Scandinavian Airline Systems (SAS) and Eurowings. airBaltic is also in the process of signing wet-lease contracts for an additional two aircraft freed up from Ukrainian and Russian destinations.
Having a fleet of 34 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, airBaltic remains the world’s largest operator of the type. By 2024, the airline expects to have a total of 50 A220-300s.