AirBaltic, Turkish Airlines to Codeshare Flights

DALLAS - Taking a step forward in their network expansions, AirBaltic (BT) and Turkish Airlines (TK) have announced a new codeshare agreement. This will enable passengers to enjoy even more flight possibilities and itineraries to get to and from the Baltic States to the rest of the world.

The codeshare agreement comes after BT commenced operations on their four-weekly flight from Riga (RIX) to Istanbul (IST), the central hub of TK and offers further connections to more than 300 destinations in 128 countries. Additionally, Turkish Airlines is one of the most significant members of the Star Alliance partnership, sharing benefits with 25 other carriers.

The partnership will also enhance and promote the massive summer-season project the Baltic carrier is preparing, with the launching of the highest-ever number of new routes in a single season so far, 20 new connections in total from Riga (RIX), Tallinn (TLL), Vilnius (VNO) and Tampere (TMP).

Apart from Turkish Airlines, AirBaltic codeshares its flights with seven other Star Alliance partners, including Lufthansa (LH), SAS (SK), and TAP Air Portugal (TP). Photo: Johann Heske/Airways.

CEO Comments

Martin Gauss, CEO of AirBaltic, said, "We are glad to enter a codeshare agreement with our partner Turkish Airlines on our new flights between Riga, Latvia, and Istanbul, Türkiye. This partnership enables local Baltic travelers to benefit from the wide network of Turkish Airlines globally and the local travelers in Türkiye are now able to enjoy a great variety of airBaltic’s destinations in Europe and beyond. We are looking forward to a successful, long-standing collaboration together.”

The agreement will also greatly benefit Turkish Airlines customer, offering them the chance to fly more and more frequently to a rapidly-expanding aviation sector as are the Baltic States and Southern Finland.

"We are excited about our new partnership with airBaltic that both our corporate and leisure customers will benefit from. We look forward to welcoming more visitors from Latvia in our unique geography that cradled many civilizations throughout history, while also encouraging travel from Türkiye to the fascinating city of Riga", declared Bilal Eksi, Chief Executive Officer at TK.

The Airbus A220 is an aircraft that suits perfectly the plans of AirBaltic, offering more fuel-efficient performance for long and skinny routes. Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways.

AirBaltic's Expansion

Founded as late as August 1995, AirBaltic has become one of the most significant airlines playing in the Northern and Eastern European markets in recent years. The airline currently offers connections to the three Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, to the outside world. Its network includes more than 70 destinations, including the 6:30-hour flight from Riga to Dubai (DXB), the longest Airbus A220 flight worldwide.

The A220 has now become the true backbone of AirBaltic. The carrier has moved from the older mixed fleet of Boeing 737 and Bombardier Dash 8 airplanes to an exclusive A220 fleet, receiving its 41st unit as recently as April 29, 2023.

Today, BT plays a key role in the North-European market and has announced four new destinations to serve from May 2023 for its Riga hub. These destinations are Bucharest (OTP), Porto (OPO), Burgas (BOJ), and Bilbao (BIO).

https://airwaysmag.com/airbaltic-20-new-summer-routes/

Featured image: AirBaltic.