ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Airports yesterday welcomed air Baltic first flight arriving from Riga, Latvia. The maiden flight marks the commencement of a direct service four times a week between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Riga International Airport (RIX) by airBaltic.
The inaugural flight arrived at 7:25 am on Monday 30th October and was welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute at the capital’s airport. On board the first flight arrived H.E. Hanan Al Aleeli, UAE Ambassador to Latvia accompanied by members of the embassy and representatives of the airline. The honored guests were hosted at AUH’s VIP Terminal and greeted by H.E. Astra Kurme Latvia Ambassador to the UAE, and members of the embassy in the UAE, in addition to representatives from Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways, and Air Baltic.
The new route will be operated by aCS300 with a seating capacity of 145in both business and economy configuration. Flights will arrive from RIX at 7:25am and depart from AUH at 9:45amon Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
H.E. Hanan Al Aleeli, UAE Ambassador to Latvia, commented: “Our two governments witnessed this year the maturity of our bilateral relations into full capacity, with the operation of two fully fledged embassies in both countries, which was translated to many achievements and milestones. These included H.E. President of Latvia’s visit to the UAE in February, and now today’s launch of airBaltic operations from Abu Dhabi International Airport. This is a reflection of the hard and close work between both embassies to further cooperation between our two nations in all sectors.”
H.E. Astra Kurme, Latvia Ambassador to the UAE, said: “With the economic prosperity that Abu Dhabi is witnessing, many airlines look forward to having this destination as part of their network, and today our national carrier, airBaltic, did it. The leadership and progress and technological advancement this nation has developed are remarkable lessons to learn from. The new cooperation today between our airline and Abu Dhabi International Airport will bring people closer, and I am confident that it will have positive impact and mutual benefit to both nations.”
Commenting on the new flights, Dan Cappell, Acting Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are very pleased to welcome airBaltic on board as Abu Dhabi continues to grow as a key global aviation hub, and we are honored to have such high dignitaries from both countries celebrating with us this collaboration. Today’s inauguration adds a new destination to the worldwide network of Abu Dhabi International Airport. We wish airBaltic great success from our hub and look forward to further supporting them in their operation.”
Commenting on the launch of its latest destination, Wolfgang Reuss, SVP Network Management ofairBaltic, said: “Riga is a dynamic city and the very business center of the Baltic states. We are thrilled to connect Riga and Abu Dhabi as it opens up connections not only to Latvia but also to our wider home region, the Baltic states with Tallinn and Vilnius as well as Northern Scandinavia with fast connections to Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and many more regional points in Northern Europe.” News Desk
