Airport, Investments, Latvia, Transport

Transport Minister Anrijs Matiss (Unity) emphasized – if there is no intention for airBaltic to become a small and earning airline with 15 destinations, both the state and companies ought to invest in development; the only issue concerns the amount of sums. This strategy must be defined before finding a strategic investor in order to establish the necessary criteria for choosing one.

Representatives from the management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group explained that by investing one million euros in the aviation business, it will be possible to retrieve two to three million, furthermore, it will help create up to 220 new jobs.

Boston Consulting Group proposed three possible scenarios – do nothing and lose flight destinations; focus on tourism business; or focus on business flight development, which would mean more business trips, larger value added, investments, and trade development.

The discussion's participants indicated that the latter two cannot be separated, taking into account that they can supplement each other. Another focus is on transit passengers, as the Latvian market does not offer additional opportunities anymore, thus, it would be necessary to focus on foreign markets. Over the past years, the number of transit passengers has fallen.