Riga International Airport reached a new passenger traffic record in 2016, servicing nearly half of the total number of passengers of the Baltic airports. Also this year, the Airport expects to ensure passenger growth progression.
Last year, Riga Airport handled 5.4 million passengers, which is almost 5% more than in 2015. In a monthly breakdown, the greatest number of passengers was handled in August, when more than half a million passengers chose Riga Airport for their trip. Of the total number of passengers, more than 50% were carried by the national airline airBaltic, 18.3% – by Ryanair, and 8.5% – by WizzAir.
“Growth figures show that the targeted business strategy of Riga Airport has brought good results. Airport’s last year’s extensive investment in the modernisation of the aerodrome infrastructure, expanding the passenger terminal and offering new services and facilities for passengers, has raised the Airport’s competitiveness and created a favourable business environment for airlines, also for the development of the strategically important long-distance flights. The task for the coming years is to develop the infrastructure for promoting growth of passenger and cargo traffic, to make Riga Airport the leader not only in the Baltic countries, but in the entire Baltic Sea Region,” says Ilona Lice, Chairman of the Board of Riga International Airport.
London, Moscow, Oslo, Frankfurt and Helsinki are still the most popular destinations for passengers travelling from Riga Airport. Compared to 2015, last year the most significant growth was recorded in routes from Riga to Berlin (+84.7%), St. Petersburg (+42.8%), Kiev (+20.7%), Moscow (+18.5%), Stockholm (+10.3%), Amsterdam (+9.8%), Tallinn (+ 9.3%), Milan (+8.8%) and London (+8.3%).
In 2016, the number of transfer/transit passengers rose by 15.3% and accounted for 27.3% of the total number of passengers handled last year, thus demonstrating the important role of Riga Airport as a regional transit hub in the Baltics. Tallinn, Vilnius, Moscow, Helsinki and St. Petersburg were the most popular transit destinations travelling via Riga Airport.
In 2016, the Airport experienced a historic moment for the entire aviation industry, becoming the first home to the new airBaltic Bombardier CS300 aircraft.
The number of destinations from Riga Airport will keep increasing also in 2017, offering new flights to nine destinations: Tampere, Aberdeen, Stavanger, Geneva, Catania, Gothenburg, Odessa, Madrid and Copenhagen. This will allow the Airport to attract new passengers, strengthening its leading position in the region, improving the connections of the three Baltic States to Western European and Eastern markets, facilitating economic growth and creating new jobs.
In 2017 and in the coming years, Riga Airport will continue work on the development of the terminal building, expanding the check-in hall, the baggage claim and sorting areas, security control area, as well as constructing a multi-storey car park and a connection to the “Rail Baltica” Riga Airport station. Construction of “Rail Baltica” RIX station and its full integration within the Airport territory should be completed by 2022.
