Latvian airline airBaltic said “widespread self-isolation
requirements” caused a 9 per cent drop in its passenger numbers in August
compared to July, with the airline carrying 137,830 customers during the month.
The airline operated 1,997 flights in August on its European
network from Riga compared to 2,019 in July, with two fewer routes offered due
to travel restrictions. AirBaltic said it is in close cooperation with authorities
to monitor the situation and adjust its flight schedule if necessary. It is
encouraging passengers to check the travel regulations and airport restrictions
at their origin and destination before flying, as “regulations are changing
rapidly and vary per country”.
CEO Martin Gauss said: “August was the third full month of
scheduled operations for airBaltic and perhaps the toughest yet. After a relatively
solid July, due to widespread self-isolation requirements, demand for our
services once again dropped. Still, we will maintain connectivity for those
customers that need to travel and we are sure that demand will increase once
the self-isolation rules will be changed.”