newstodate.aero
Oct 31, 2017 (newstodate): The Latvian carrier airBaltic builds its business model on transfer traffic, with Riga Airport as the carrier's main hub.
Prior to the latest global economic crisis, transfer traffic accounted for the largest part of the airline's total traffic, but in 2014 the proportion between transfer and point-to-point traffic had changed to 45/55, further impacted by the effects from the deepening crisis over Ukraine, and in 2015 the proportion of transfer traffic had dropped to 40 percent reflecting the sustained decline in the Russian air travel market.
airBaltic responded by setting up up more seasonal, point-to-point routes as well as launching new flights from Tallinn and Vilnius to European destinations.
Now, the situation is normalizing again, and a focus on transfer, rather than point-to-point traffic is returning.
-We are a small airline that carries passenger number exceeding the population of our home base two-three times. This year we are seeing a double-digit growth in passenger volumes and expect similar growth next year, says Toms Andersons, airBaltic VP Sales.
-Transfer traffic is and will be critical to sustain this growth, and we are well placed towards the markets of Russia and the CIS region to tap these potentials.
-We thus launched flights to a new Russian destination Kazan on April 26, 2017, adding to our existing services to Moscow served since 1998 and to St Petersburg served since December 15, 2004, and there is definitely room for more, says Mr Andersons.
At its peak, airBaltic's services from Riga Airport to Russia comprised flights to destinations including Pskov, Sochi and Kaliningrad in addition to Moscow and St Petersburg, and plans to open flights to Yekaterinburg from June 3, 2014, were close to materializing - but aborted by the deepening crisis over Ukraine.
Before this crisis, Russia was airBaltic's single largest market outside the Baltic region, but during the crisis this position was taken over by Germany.
Prior to the latest global economic crisis, transfer traffic accounted for the largest part of the airline's total traffic, but in 2014 the proportion between transfer and point-to-point traffic had changed to 45/55, further impacted by the effects from the deepening crisis over Ukraine, and in 2015 the proportion of transfer traffic had dropped to 40 percent reflecting the sustained decline in the Russian air travel market.
airBaltic responded by setting up up more seasonal, point-to-point routes as well as launching new flights from Tallinn and Vilnius to European destinations.
Now, the situation is normalizing again, and a focus on transfer, rather than point-to-point traffic is returning.
-We are a small airline that carries passenger number exceeding the population of our home base two-three times. This year we are seeing a double-digit growth in passenger volumes and expect similar growth next year, says Toms Andersons, airBaltic VP Sales.
-Transfer traffic is and will be critical to sustain this growth, and we are well placed towards the markets of Russia and the CIS region to tap these potentials.
-We thus launched flights to a new Russian destination Kazan on April 26, 2017, adding to our existing services to Moscow served since 1998 and to St Petersburg served since December 15, 2004, and there is definitely room for more, says Mr Andersons.
At its peak, airBaltic's services from Riga Airport to Russia comprised flights to destinations including Pskov, Sochi and Kaliningrad in addition to Moscow and St Petersburg, and plans to open flights to Yekaterinburg from June 3, 2014, were close to materializing - but aborted by the deepening crisis over Ukraine.
Before this crisis, Russia was airBaltic's single largest market outside the Baltic region, but during the crisis this position was taken over by Germany.