Latvian national airline airBaltic promises to continue expanding in Vilnius and increase both the number of aircraft based there and the list of destinations offered, said airBaltic President and CEO Martin Gauss. "We are expanding in Vilnius. Every year we increase the number of destinations from Vilnius and we have a clear plan for further expansion," Gauss said in an interview with the BNS news agency. He recalled that airBaltic is the market leader in Latvia, Estonia, and Finland's Tampere Airport, but at Vilnius Airport, the Latvian national airline is the third largest in the market. Gauss emphasized that airBaltic's goal is to take a larger market share in Vilnius. According to him, the company plans to double its fleet by 2030, so airBaltic could more than double its fleet in Vilnius as well. Currently, two airBaltic aircraft are permanently based in the Lithuanian capital, although there are four in Tallinn, which is smaller than Vilnius. In early September, airBaltic announced that it would launch flights to seven new destinations from Vilnius Airport and increase the number of flights on four existing routes. As reported, airBaltic carried 4.536 million passengers last year, up 35.7% from 2022, and operated 44,100 flights, up 18.3% from the previous year. The Latvian state owns 97.97% of airBaltic shares, while financial investor Aircraft Leasing 1 owns 2.03%.
