Ryanair to maintain 16 routes from Riga this winter

Ryanair will maintain two aircraft at its Riga Airport base for the upcoming winter season, according to Commercial Director Jason McGinness. The airline plans to increase its flight schedule from Riga by 6%, adding 40,000 seats and maintaining 16 routes, with increased frequency on ten of them. Destinations include Malaga and Barcelona in Spain, Milan Bergamo and Rome Fiumicino in Italy, Dublin in Ireland, various UK airports including Manchester and London Stansted, and Malta.

McGinness noted that Riga is the only Baltic location expected to see growth this winter, attributed to the airport's growth promotion program. In contrast, Ryanair expects to reduce capacity in Lithuania and Estonia by 25% due to rising airport costs.

The airline has proposed a $1.6 billion investment plan for the Baltic region, which includes a $400 million investment in Latvia. This plan aims to facilitate 11 million passengers annually and station 16 aircraft in the region over five years. This expansion comes as Latvia's national carrier, airBaltic, announced plans to reduce its fleet from 54 to 36 aircraft by the end of 2026.