My first flight with airBaltic on the Airbus A220 left a memorable impression. AirBaltic, with its modern fleet, offers a unique experience blending high-quality service with affordability, setting a new standard for business travel.

The journey from Istanbul to Riga took about three hours, and experiencing their business class truly stood out. The exceptional wine selection, diverse beverage options, and gourmet menu made this flight feel like a luxurious dining experience at 35,000 feet.

With its differentiated passenger offer, airBaltic brings “the best of both worlds” with the benefits of both traditional and low-cost airlines. It provides high-quality service without excessive costs. Passengers can choose Economy Class tickets for flexibility, adding services such as baggage, meals on board, and seat selection, or Business Class tickets for a full-service package, including priority check-in, a front-row seat with extra space, a gourmet meal, and quicker disembarking upon arrival.

I also loved the bright, spacious cabin and the ambient lighting in AirBaltic’s signature colors, which created a fresh and modern atmosphere. The Airbus A220-300 offers an excellent flying experience, with benefits for passengers such as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin and an enhanced in-flight experience overall.

The flight from Istanbul to Riga takes around three hours. One-way fares start from EUR 159* in Economy Class and EUR 299* in Business Class.

During the winter season, airBaltic plans to operate up to three weekly flights between Istanbul and Riga. Since May 2023, airBaltic and Turkish Airlines have been in a codeshare partnership.

AirBaltic, the leading airline in the Baltic region, connects over 130 destinations through its hubs in Riga, Talin, Vilnius, and Tampere, with seasonal flights to Gran Canaria.

This extensive network offers convenient connections across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region. As the Baltics’ vital link to the rest of Europe, airBaltic ensures seamless travel with more than 20 codeshare partners, providing one-stop connections to over 200 destinations worldwide.

Airbaltic has recently announced the addition of 16 new routes to its network. From Riga, the airline will now fly to Rzeszow, Cluj-Napoca, Mykonos, and Stavanger. Additionally, from Tallinn, travelers can now reach Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Hamburg, Reykjavik, and Tirana. From Vilnius, new destinations include Prague, Rhodes, Valencia, Tirana, Tel Aviv, Chisinau, and Ibiza. The flight schedules for these new routes from Riga have been optimized to coordinate with transit flights to and from Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, and Scandinavia, providing seamless connections through the airline’s home base.

Single-type fleet of Airbus A220-300 – one of the youngest in Europe 

The airBaltic fleet – one the youngest in Europe - consists of a single aircraft type – Airbus A220-300. The airline currently operates 49 aircraft of this type and plans to double its fleet to nearly 100 A220-300s by 2030.  With new orders ,airBaltic strengthens its commitment to the aircraft type and  further reinforces its position as the largest A220 customer in Europe,  and it maintains its position as the largest operator in the world for this aircraft type

The deliveries for the additional 40 A220-300s are planned to start in 2026. 

In late 2016, airBaltic became the global launch operator of the A220-300 and since May 2020 has been operating all its flights with a single-type fleet of this aircraft type. Thus far, the airline has carried more than 16.3 million passengers on the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The airBaltic A220-300s have completed close to 183 thousand flights and flown more than 401 thousand block hours

For those seeking a reliable, high-quality, and comfortable travel experience, airBaltic from Istanbul to Riga offers a refreshing alternative in the skies.  Additionally, Riga serves as a convenient gateway to the Baltic states and Nordic countries, making it an ideal choice for travelers looking to explore Northern Europe. With its extensive network and seamless connections, airBaltic offers efficient access to destinations across these regions, enhancing travel options for both business and leisure passengers