LONDON – Latvia’s airBaltic welcomed on May 21 it’s 35th Airbus A220-300 (YL-ABI) at Riga Airport. The next aircraft is a continuation of scheduled deliveries for this year and comes from the second order of 30 aircraft of this type placed in May 2018. In addition, airBaltic holds 30 options and purchase rights for the same aircraft type.
The 35th A220 aircraft, with serial number MSN 55163 and registration YL-ABI, is one of 50 airbus A220-300s ordered by airBaltic and the third of eight aircraft the Latvian carrier planned to take delivery of this year. The Latvian airline’s A220 aircraft take 149 passengers on board.
Since May 2020, airBaltic operates all its flights with a single aircraft type – Airbus A220-300, thus minimizing the complexity and benefiting from the additional efficiency provided by the aircraft. In the midst of a coronavirus outbreak that has had a significant impact on demand for air travel, airBaltic has accelerated the retirement of all Boeing B737s and Bombardier Q400s from its fleet. These aircraft left the carrier’s fleet at exactly the end of April 2020. This decision was to simplify operations by offering its passengers only the Airbus A220 product.
A modern aircraft that met the airline’s expectations
The Airbus A220-300 has met airBaltic’s expectations, providing improved overall performance, fuel efficiency and comfort for passengers as well as cabin and cockpit crew. This aircraft offers an excellent flight experience, providing passengers with benefits such as wider seats, larger windows, more cabin space for hand luggage and improved lavatories.
The new aircraft is also much quieter – with four times fewer noise emissions. What’s more, it is currently the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first jet to have a clear life-cycle environmental impact statement, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20 and 50 per cent respectively.
The Airbus A220-300 has a high-quality air filtration system featuring a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which provides the best level of cabin air filtration available today from the very beginning of boarding, throughout the flight and until all passengers have disembarked. Cabin air quality is carefully controlled. Total air exchange is 20-30 times per hour.
airBaltic think greener and flies greener
In addition to a modern and greener fleet, the Latvian airline has announced that it has ordered a total of 24 electric vehicles for its ground handling, technical and other functions. The company has already installed seven charging stations on the apron of Riga Airport, with 15 more to be installed by the year-end.
Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic said: “Sustainability is at the core of our future development. That is why already last year we decided that all new cars that the company will purchase will be electric. Today our ground handling colleagues are already using the first electric vehicles we have purchased. We think greener, we fly greener.”
In April, airBaltic received the highest ranking among Latvian brands in the European Sustainable Brand Index in the transport and travel sector. The study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022, and it analysed how society’s attitudes towards sustainability affect branding, communication, and business development.
