Today, on 27 October 2021, it is 30 years since the German airline Lufthansa Group has been operating at Riga Airport. The first Lufthansa aircraft landed in Riga on 27 October 1991, becoming the second foreign airline to offer flights from Riga.
"We are very happy about the successful and stable cooperation with Lufthansa, which has been an important partner for our airport for 30 years and provides Baltic travellers with a permanent connection to one of the largest European air hubs – Frankfurt and from there – to one of the widest networks of flights and connections in the world. Lufthansa’s high standards of passenger and aircraft service allow any airport to which its aircraft fly to grow,” says Laila Odina, Chairperson of the Board of Riga Airport.
Florian Schröder, CEO, German – Baltic Chamber of Commerce: “When Lufthansa flew from Germany to Riga for the first time 30 years ago, it laid the foundation for us, the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce (AHK), to resume and grow German–Baltic economic relations after the independence. Lufthansa is one of the very few airlines operating in Latvia that has never interrupted its flights to Riga. Not even since the beginning of the pandemic – for that we truly are grateful! On behalf of AHK, I would like to thank Lufthansa for the crucial bridge that it has continuously provided for bilateral relations for 30 years”.
Currently, Lufthansa operates an average of seven flights a week from Riga to Frankfurt, carrying more than 30 000 passengers in January – September this year. In 2019, the number of passengers exceeded 190 thousand.
Riga Airport is a fast-growing Northern European air traffic hub, connecting the Baltic countries with European business centres and popular holiday destinations. As a member organization of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Aviation Industry Charter for COVID-19, Riga Airport works to the highest standards of epidemiological safety. Skytrax has awarded Riga Airport a four-star rating for its implemented Covid-19 safety measures.