airBaltic cuts up to 700 jobs and downsizes fleet to 36 A220s
The Latvian carrier initiates collective redundancies affecting up to 23% of its workforce as it slashes its active fleet and consolidates scheduled flights around Riga.
airBaltic has launched a collective redundancy procedure across Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, targeting between 500 and 700 positions out of roughly 3,000 employees. This structural downsizing follows a strategic shift prioritising balance-sheet repair and profitability over aggressive expansion.
Central to the reorganisation is a deep fleet contraction. The carrier has abandoned its long-term ambition of operating around 100 Airbus A220-300s, moving instead to reduce its active inventory from 54 aircraft to approximately 36 airframes by the end of 2026, with a modest expansion toward 40 aircraft by 2031.
Operationally, airBaltic is consolidating its scheduled footprint at its primary hub in Riga, while trimming operations in Tallinn and Vilnius. The carrier has already discarded planned seasonal operations, including a winter base in Tenerife and flights to Groningen and Liège, alongside suspending Riga–Dubai services. Higher frequencies will nonetheless be deployed on core routes, including London Gatwick, Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, and Rome.
To stabilize revenues and counter Baltic seasonality, the airline is pivoting toward year-round ACMI contracts, building on existing partnerships such as with the Lufthansa Group. Backed by up to €257 million in interim financing, airBaltic targets €45 million in recurring annual cost and revenue improvements.
Why it matters for your training
For flight crews, major fleet contractions and base rationalisations directly shrink cockpit rosters while shifting operational focus toward wet-lease ACMI flying.
Sources
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