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Friday, 29.03.2024, 03:34
The number of passengers at Riga Airport increased by 7.7% in 5 months
The overall passenger growth this year is estimated around 4-5% which is somewhat faster than the planned rate of a 3% growth annually.
Liepins said the airport’s passenger service capacity was already insufficient, especially considering that the business plan of the national airline airBaltic envisages increase of transit passengers. It means that not only the check-in hall but also the baggage handling hall will be too small.
A new check-in hall and a station of the Rail Baltica European-gauge railway line at the Riga airport will be built at the same time, although the two projects will be financed from different sources. The check-in hall will cost EUR 50 million and will be built without any financial support from the EU, whereas the EU funding will cover 85% of the costs for construction of a railway branch from the Riga center to the airport but no cost estimate has been produced yet.
Previously Liepins explained that the two projects would be implemented simultaneously to limit inconvenience caused to passengers and companies operating in the airport by construction works in the airport. The construction designs are to be produced by 2019, and the actual construction is to be completed by 2022.
Fully-owned by the Latvian state, Riga International Airport is the largest air traffic hub in the Baltics.