AirBaltic said it’s developed a plan to resume flights to Ukraine at short notice of the airspace reopening, three years after the Russian invasion severed the country’s air links.
The Latvian airline plans to shift capacity from other destinations into Ukraine once safe to do so, Chief Executive Officer Martin Gauss said on Monday in an interview. AirBaltic would also want to keep some aircraft in Ukraine overnight, a practice known as night-stopping, he said.
“We can be flying tonight if it’s safe,” he said. “I would even fly empty there if it’s clear we can fly out and would sell the tickets, and the tickets are sold.”
Optimism for the end of the war in Ukraine is gaining momentum, with US President-elect Donald Trump saying he could settle the country’s conflict with Russia. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has suggested he’d accept a cease-fire with Russia that left parts of his country occupied in return for NATO security guarantees over the rest.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv on Monday and offered additional military aid, which stands to strengthen Zelenskiy’s hand in any cease-fire talks.
AirBaltic had a strong market in Ukraine and previously operated flights from Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa but was forced to suspend all flights when the airspace closed because of the conflict. Airlines are now assessing when and how to restart flights into Ukraine when the airspace reopens. Ryanair Holdings Plc has promised to base 30 aircraft there and help rebuild the country’s aviation industry once the war ends.
Opening the airspace and airports would provide AirBaltic with an additional key market, given that Ukraine travel demand is high, Gauss said. The carrier would also be able to cross Ukraine’s airspace to fly a more direct route south of Latvia to destinations such as Dubai and Greece.
Gauss said the airline hasn’t included the plan in its guidance because it’s unclear when Ukraine’s airspace will open again.
Ahead of a proposed initial public offering, AirBaltic is in advanced talks with a “large stock-listed airline,” Gauss said, without disclosing the airline and a time-line. It comes after Bloomberg News reported Deutsche Lufthansa AG was considering taking a stake in the Latvian airline.
The IPO was initially set to happen in the second half of this year, but Gauss said the earliest is now in the first half of 2025 because market conditions need to be right.
AirBaltic is among the airlines impacted by Pratt & Whitney engine issues under the wings of Airbus SE aircraft. The carrier currently has 16 aircraft on the ground for removal and inspections, and expects as many as 12 jets to be grounded next summer, Gauss said.
The Latvian national airline airBaltic has decided to suspend night flights to/from Ukraine until the end of February 2022, according to the company’s website.
“The airline will continue to provide flights from Kyiv to both Riga and Vilnius. The safety of our passengers and employees is the main priority of airBaltic. airBaltic is evaluating the current situation before each flight and following the recommendations issued by official authorities. airBaltic is flexible and ready to adjust its flight schedule if necessary,” the statement said.
This week, airBaltic plans to operate day flights between Kyiv and Riga, as well as two flights between Kyiv and Vilnius.
Due to the temporary suspension of flights, the airline canceled five night flights between Kyiv and Riga, as well as two flights between Odesa and Riga. The airline will contact the passengers of the indicated flights and offer them to transfer the booking to other flights.
As reported, the Ministry of Infrastructure is negotiating with Ukrainian airlines to replace flights canceled by foreign airlines.
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) connects the Baltic region with more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the CIS countries.
Latvia’s airBaltic will launch direct regular flights on the Riga-Lviv-Riga route from April 1, 2019.
Accordig to the booking system, airBaltic will operate flights between Riga and Lviv four times weekly: on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Riga and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Satrudays and Sundays from Lviv.
The round trip ticket prices start from EUR 130.
airBaltic also flies to Kyiv and Odesa.
airBaltic connects the Baltic region with 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and the CIS. The state of Latvia owns 80.05% of the airline, and Aircraft Leasing 1 holds 20%.
