Operational data on the Airport performance show that this April, more than 419 thousand passengers used Riga Airport; in turn, in the first four months of the year the Airport has served more than 1.1 million passengers.
"The increase in the number of passengers in April is related to both new and renewed routes from Riga at the beginning of the summer season, as well as a higher flight frequency and good aircraft occupancy. People are using the opportunities offered by Riga, and we are pleased that we have even exceeded the optimistic forecast in terms of the passenger numbers,” says Laila Odiņa, Chairperson of the Board of Riga Airport.
In April, the Airport handled 4 105 passenger aircraft and 419.3 thousand passengers, which is 65 percent of the pre-pandemic period. 17 % or 71.4 thousand passengers used Riga as a transit airport.
As the number of passengers increases, Riga Airport would like to remind that passengers should arrive on time – at least two hours in advance – to complete all the necessary procedures and pass security checks.
As previously forecast, due to the war in Ukraine and the related global sanctions, the volume of air cargo decreased in April. In April, Riga Airport handled 138 cargo aircraft and 1 540 tonnes of air cargo. Compared to both 2019 and 2021, this is a drop of almost 30 %. The volume of air cargo handled in the first four months of the year has increased by one percent as compared to the same period of the previous year but decreased by 8 % as compared to the first four months of 2019.
In turn, the number of business, technical and other flights serviced in April has increased by a quarter as compared to March 2019, with the Airport servicing 322 such flights. In January–April, as compared to the same period in 2019, the number of business, technical and other flights increased by 86 percent.
Riga Airport is a fast-growing Northern European air traffic hub, connecting the Baltic countries with European business centres and popular holiday destinations. Being aware of its role and responsibility in the national economy of Latvia, Riga Airport develops sustainable services and infrastructure, taking care of its employees and the environment, and keeping pace with society and the local community. By joining the Net Zero 2050 initiative, Riga Airport has committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.