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Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “2023 proved to be a rich year. The past 12 months have been full of positive milestones – we significantly expanded our network, offering over 100 direct routes, an all-time high, from home cities Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Tampere, and now – seasonally from Gran Canaria. The number of passengers consistently increased, approaching 4.5 million. Notably, specifically in July, for the first time since 2019, we served over 500 000 passengers in a single month.”
“Important to highlight, that 2023 was also a year of an international attention – by reaffirming the excellent cooperation with Airbus and securing a significant contract for 30 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with purchase rights for additional 20. This aligns with the goal of operating a fleet of 100 such aircraft by 2030. The airline also received prestigious awards, includingRoutes Europe Airline Award, Europe’s Second Youngest Fleet Award, APEX Passenger Choice Award for the best cabin service in Europe, and the Skytrax Award for the best airline in Eastern Europe,” M. Gauss added.
“Looking ahead to 2024, airBaltic remains committed to enhancing connectivity between the Baltics and the world, ensuring improved passenger experiences, and contributing significantly to the economy. The airline will launch 13 new routes, expanding the total direct routes to over 100. However, a lot of our attention will be focused on the recently embarked active path towards the contemplated initial public offering (IPO) of the company’s shares. Thus, we are determined to deliver even greater excellence and further strengthen airBaltic as the leading airline and brand of the Baltics,” M. Gauss concluded.
In 2023, airBaltic has carried around 4.5 million passengers or by 36% more than in 2022. During the last 12 months, the airline performed over 44 000 flights – 18% more than the year before.
The most popular destinations were Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, London, Paris, Tallinn, Tampere, Tenerife, Vienna, and Vilnius.
Since the first Airbus A220 joined the company’s fleet in late 2016, airBaltic has carried over 14 200 000 passengers on these aircraft, of which over 3 700 000 last year. So far, A220s have completed more than 157 000 flights and flown above 344 000 block hours, of which respectively nearly 37 000 and 80 000 last year. In 2023, seven new Airbus A220-300 aircraft joined the fleet of airBaltic.
To this day, airBaltic is the largest air cargo and mail carrier in Riga airport, maintaining its market leader position also in 2023 – altogether more than 9 400 000 kilograms of cargo and mail were delivered. In total, airBaltic carried more than 800 000 bags of mail within its network. One of the airBaltic Cargo Department’s highlight was a secure transportation of a rescued baby bear from Riga to France. The flight from Riga Airport, supported by Riga ZOO, ensured a comfortable journey for the bear in a specially adapted cargo hold.
Undeniably, the airline’s Call Center plays a significant role in providing services of quality. It employs 100 specialists, who handle incoming calls, messages and e-mails in 7 languages daily. Throughout 2023, the total amount of inquiries served were around 1 805 390.
Questions and inquiries regarding airBaltic operations are also received on social media. Last year, the social media support specialists faced up to 35 500 interactions. At the same time, the total number of followers on the company’s most powerful communication channels – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok – increased from 864 900 (January, 2023) to 1 049 200 (December, 2023). The highest rise was recorded on TikTok, from 228 600 to 352 200 followers.
In 2023 airBaltic recruited 684 employees, and the overall amount of the team reached 2 500 professionals. A total of 177 vacancies were published, receiving more than 24 254 applications and conducting 2 899 job interviews. Moreover, it is essential to note, that 20 graduates of the airBaltic Pilot Academy joined the company as First Officers in 2023.
The average age of people working at airBaltic is 35 years, but the average seniority level reaches 6 years. Until now, 7 employees have been working in the company since its establishment in 1995. The proportion of gender equality is 46% women and 54% men. Today members of 30 nationalities work at airBaltic.
airBaltic operates more than 100 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Tampere, offering connections to a wide range of destinations in the airline's route network in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights and tickets are available on the company's homepage at www.airbaltic.com
Tags: Martin Gauss, airBaltic
