Riga Airport welcomes its 10 millionth transit/transfer passenger

24/07/2014

Yesterday, on 23 July, Riga International Airport received its ten millionth transit/transfer passenger since the restoration of Latvia’s independence – Mr Christian Suhl – who arrived on the flight of airBaltic from Brussels and proceeded to Tallinn.
 
„Thanks to our national carrier airBaltic, our airport is a transit hub and ten million transit passengers welcomed here are the proof of Riga Airport’s leading role in the region,” said Aldis Mūrnieks, Chairman of the Board of Riga International Airport, adding that „the transit/transfer travellers are a significant part of the passenger traffic at the airport with a growth trend in the future.”

„I congratulate the airport with this achievement. The number of transit passengers welcomed is truly impressive, it exceeds the total population number of all three Baltic countries. The airport must maintain this level and seek the opportunities to boost it further,” said Anrijs Matīss, Minister of Transport. 

Riga International Airport presented its 10 millionth passenger with four gift cards for the business lounge and with airport souvenirs.

"The time spent at the airport must be pleasant, irrespective whether Riga is a passenger’s destination or a transit point. As one of the leading operators of international airports, we are gratified for our input in creating a positive experience for the passengers of Riga Airport, providing them with top-class services, rich assortment of duty free goods and the world’s best brands. We hope that, jointly with the airport and the national airline airBaltic, the number of passengers will soon be doubled," said Mr Giray Colpan, head of “TAV Latvia”. He greeted the 10 millionth passenger jointly with Mr Tamer Cigeroglu, Executive Director of  AS “Riga Airport Commercial Development” ("ATU Duty Free"), giving him a special basket with delicacies from the duty free shops.

It should be added that Riga International Airport in the first six months of this year has welcomed 2 230 869 passengers, of which 677 759 were transit/transfer passengers. The most popular transit/transfer destinations from Riga Airport this year are Tallinn, Vilnius, Helsinki, Moscow and Stockholm.
 
In 2013, Riga Airport welcomed 4.8 million passengers, of which 1.5 million were transit/transfer travellers.