Latvian airline to launch direct flights from Manchester to Riga
Latvian airline airBaltic will launch scheduled flights between Manchester and Riga, Latvia, commencing on March 29, 2020.
The new route will offer convenient connections to passengers travelling from Manchester to the Latvian capital and more than 70 destinations served from Riga to Scandinavia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.
Martin Gauss, airBaltic chief executive, said: “Riga is a dynamic city and a key business centre of the Baltic states and has a lot to offer to both business and leisure travellers.
“It is also a very convenient transfer point with excellent connections within our wide route network.
“Our passengers will be able to travel to both cities for very attractive prices in the economy or our full-service business class on the new and comfortable Airbus A220-300 aircraft.”
Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: “It’s great to see airBaltic come to Manchester Airport with flights to Riga.
“It is already a very popular destination, so it is great to see the Latvian flag carrier come onto the route, too, giving additional choice and flexibility for the 22 million people in our vast catchment area.
“The airBaltic route will not only enable to enjoy the delights Riga has to offer, but also massively open up Eastern Europe and Russia to our passengers, which will benefit business and leisure travellers alike.
“We look forward to the route starting next year and seeing the airline grow from the UK’s global gateway in the North.”
Direct flights between Manchester and Riga will take place four times weekly and will be operated on the new Airbus A220-300 aircraft, one of the greenest and quietest commercial aircraft in its class offering an excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more.
The airBaltic carrier serves flights also to two other cities in the UK – the year-round flights from London to Riga and Tallinn (Estonia) and Summer season flights from Aberdeen to Riga.
Riga
The traffic on airBaltic UK routes grows each year. Thus, in 2019, airBaltic plans to have carried 17% more passengers on these routes than last year.
Almost one-fifth of all passengers travelling to and from the UK with airBaltic has chosen Riga as a transfer airport.
Most popular connections are, among others, two other Baltic capitals Tallinn and Vilnius, Nordic cities Helsinki and Turku, also Moscow and St Petersburg, Tbilisi, and Odessa.
In Summer 2020, airBaltic plans to introduce four more new destinations, from Riga to Trondheim, Bergen and Yerevan, and from Tallinn to Nice.
