During Dubai Airshow 2023, airBaltic, Latvia’s national airline, announced it will acquire 30 Airbus A220-300 aircraft and hold options for 20 more.
This move solidifies airBaltic as the largest A220 customer in Europe and the world’s largest A220-300 operator.
“This marks a milestone in our history, with plans to operate a fleet of 100 aircraft by 2030,” Martin Gauss, airBaltic’s CEO commented. “The A220-300 has been pivotal to our success, and we’re proud to continue this partnership with Airbus.”
airBaltic’s close association with the Airbus A220-300 began in December 2012 with a first order for the then-Bombardier CSeries CS300. In December 2016, the airline became the launch customer of this type, and by 2023, it had fully transitioned to an all-A220 fleet of 44 aircraft.
“The aircraft performance, the fuel burn, the CO2 emissions, the noise, all of that on that aircraft, in combination with the range that it offers, is unique,” Gauss told AeroTime during an interview in September 2023. “Being able to only have to fill 150 seats gives us an advantage to fly on smaller routes against competition.”
The airline is gearing up to list publicly via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2024, in which it will present a business plan of 100 aircraft by 2030.