It seems that Latvian airline airBaltic is a bit short of capacity this summer, with the airline having to lease extra aircraft for the summer season.
airBaltic. Now with Airbus A320s – Image, airBaltic.
airBaltic will wet-lease four additional aircraft short-term – to meet the increasing passenger demand the airline has. The airline has partnered with Avion Express to provide the short-term lease of the Airbus A320 aircraft.
Each will add 180 extra seats on the flights these aircraft operate.
In total, two of the aircraft will operate out of the Riga base, operating between March 26 to October 28, while one will be based in Vilnius and another in Tallinn, between May 1 and October 28.
The wet-leased aircraft will be available in two configurations, with burgundy red leather seats and blue textile seats. The onboard experience will feature airBaltic-branded white headrest covers, Baltic Outlook inflight magazine, and the airline’s safety cards, with a service level standard to match airBaltic.
The Airbus A320-232 aircraft of Avion Express (registration numbers: 9H-AMI, 9H-AMK, 9H-MLY, 9H-MLX) have been manufactured in the period from 2008 to 2011.
In Quotes
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic said:
“Although the challenges, caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine is still being felt, the aviation industry is gradually stabilizing. As a result, passenger demand for air travel is increasing. At the same time, the industry as a whole continues to face technical parts supply chain issues, which means we need additional capacity to carry all passengers, avoiding flight cancellations. Therefore, this summer airBaltic will be cooperating with Avion Express, which aircraft offer even more seats, thus allowing us to carry greater amount of passengers.”
Covering capacity
With the supply chain still more sluggish than not, airBaltic is taking the opportunity to arrange cover now, rather than ad-hoc, when it will cost more.
In addition, the extra capacity uplift will be useful on some of the airline’s denser routes as we head into the all-important summer timetable.
Just remember to check your equipment, if you’re planning to fly airBaltic. If your seating plan is 6 across rather than 5 across, there’s a high chance you’ve got an A320 instead of an A220.
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