EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Latvia, Tourism, Transport

"The airline's booming growth and air travel tourism trends in the region have encouraged Primera Air to commence flights from Riga to its most popular vacation destination - the city of Malaga in Costa del Sol region in the Southern Spain. Flights will be carried out once a week throughout the summer season of 2018 using Boeing 737-800 Next-Gen aircraft with a capacity of 189 passengers. Tickets will be on sale already this August," Primera Air said.

According to Primera Air  VP and Chief Commercial Officer Anastasija Visnakova, Malaga has been our most popular destination that we have been flying to since founding the airline in 2004. "During our summer season we have as many as 17 flights a week from our hubs in Scandinavia and Iceland, with more than 250,000 passengers flown to this destination annually. Initially it was a summer-only route, but during the last years Malaga has become a year-round destination," she said.

"The last three years have turned out particularly well - Primera Air's key performance indicators have grown significantly, it has purchased 20 new aircraft and expanded its business model from charter operations serving local flights to new markets with full standard carrier services and is now getting into the transatlantic flight segment," Visnakova said.

"Starting flights from Latvia is a crucial step for us, something we have been looking forward to ever since moving our headquarters to Latvia. Our cost base allows us to compete with such carriers as Norwegian, Ryanair, Vueling and others. We will be able to provide a very competitive product for both individual travelers and travel agencies in Latvia," she stated.

The chairperson of Riga International Airport, Ilona Lice, said that the airport was very pleased about Primera Air's decision to commence flights from Riga. "Latvia is the carrier's home country and now Riga will be among Primera Air destinations. Their new route to Malaga has been among the most requested direct routes from Riga by our passengers, and now they will be able to get to their sunny vacation spot more conveniently. We hope this is just the beginning of a fruitful mutual cooperation and Primera Air's growth in Latvia,” she said.

As reported, Primera Air has signed a contract for the purchase and lease of 20 Boeing 737MAX 9 ER airliners.

Primera Air was founded in 2004 in Iceland and initially operated charter flights for Scandinavian tour operators. In 2014 Primera Air moved their headquarters from Denmark to Latvia and expanded its operations with direct seat sales and a push into the low-cost air travel segment. Primera Air flies to more than 70 destinations using eight Boeing Next Generation aircraft. Primera Air is part of Primera Travel Group, which includes the leading travel agencies in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.