While data from Riga Airport showed that passenger figures exceeded 300,000 in March and the Latvian hub welcomed more than 3,700 flights, the number of transfer passengers at the airport decreased to 10% of the total number of passengers. The air cargo turnover also decreased with less than 1,500 tonnes of cargo handled and the number of cargo flights decreasing by 38% compared to March 2021.
“The geopolitical situation and the sanctions imposed on Russia have affected the flow of transit passengers and cargo at Riga Airport,” admitted Laila Odina, Chairperson of the airport board. “However, in general with the start of the summer season, the number of flights is still increasing and the number of passengers carried has reached and even exceeded the forecasts. In cooperation with our partners, we are also looking for alternative solutions to restore our cargo flow,” she continued.
Half of all flights at Riga Airport in March were operated by airBaltic (the national carrier), followed by low-fare carrier, Ryanair.
Prior to the sanction imposed on Russia the cargo segment at the airport had been experiencing stable growth. In Q1, 2022 the airport handled a total of 6,40o tonnes of cargo, which is 13% more than a year before. In this same period more than 778,000 passengers and more than 10,000 flights were handled at Riga Airport, reaching 54% of the number of passengers and 60% of the number of flights before the pandemic.
Riga Airport is positioning itself to become a northern European hub for trade and tourism with “growth rates during the pre-pandemic years evidence of the stable and unquestionable leadership of Riga Airport in the Baltic States.”
