In the first half-year of 2017, Riga International Airport retained the leader position among Baltic airports, according to statistical data on the airport’s operational results.
The airport services more than 2.7 million passengers or 46% of all passengers serviced at airports of Baltic capitals.
49% of all air cargoes were also serviced in Riga. The number of passengers grew by 8.7% YoY. The volume of cargoes grew by 2.4%. The number of passengers serviced by airports of Baltic capitals grew by 11.7% YoY, reaching 5.9 million.
27% of passengers serviced by Riga airport were transfer passengers. Some of the most popular destinations this year were London, Moscow and Frankfurt. The most rapid increase of passengers has been noted for Copenhagen – by 35.8%, which was thanks to the opening of a new flight schedule by Scandinavian Airlines.
“Development of Riga airport in the first half of the year fits European rapid growth indexes. According to data from Airport Council International, the increase of the number of passengers in Europe was 8.8% in the first five months of 2017. Results of the airport’s operations in the first half-year show stable growth, which allows us to say that we will likely conclude the year with a new passenger record,” says the airport’s chairperson Ilona Lice.
Latvia’s national airline airBaltic remained the leader passenger-wise. With 1.4 million passengers, the airline has 52.6% of the market. The second largest airline was Irish Ryanair (16.9%) and the third Hungarian WizzAir (8.5%). (BNN/Business World Magazine)