Airport, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

"These are the main arguments for implementing long-distance destinations and increasing in-transit passenger traffic," Liepins said.

Asked whether by increasing fees Riga will become more expensive than Vilnius or Tallinn, Liepins said that the city is currently on the same level with its neighboring states, however, in terms of service and quality, Riga is "a lot more attractive."

"We are bigger and, thus, more appealing. Of course, we cannot go out of proportion like, for example, Helsinki. We ought to discuss a moderate increase in prices," Liepins stressed.

He also explained that he wishes to create a fee policy that would be interesting for low-fare airlines, as well as the local base airlines – Wizz Air and airBaltic, as they provide a steady transit flow. At the same tame, the fee policy must be attractive enough to motivate airlines to launch faraway destinations.

As reported, the Transport Ministry decided last month to appoint Deputy State Secretary of the Economy Ministry, Andris Liepins as the new CEO of Riga International Airport.

The ministry's representatives explained that Liepins has extensive knowledge and understanding about the aviation industry, and he has worked as chairman of the council at the national airline airBaltic.