Airport, Latvia, Lithuania, Transport

Bertolt Flick.

Vilnius Airport used to be one of the most expensive airports in Europe and the Baltics, now the situation will change completely, writes LETA.

The conditions at Riga Airport have not deteriorated, but the Vilnius Airport has become more attractive, and is likely to experience rapid development, said Flick.

Flick also said in the interview that cooperation with Transport Minister Kaspars Gerhards (For Fatherland And Freedom/LNNK) is "excellent". airBaltic has cooperated successfully with all the past transport ministers too, from Vilis Kristopans to Ainars Slesers (Latvia's First Party/Latvia's Way).

The construction of a new passenger terminal is the most important Riga Airport's project at the moment, Flick said. The airport may have enough capacity next year yet, but in two-three years, a new terminal will be an urgent necessity.

airBaltic has handed in its proposals to the airport, what the new terminal could look like and how the project could be funded with the help of private partners. The originally-planned construction costs can be reduced 70%, airBaltic believes.

Flick hopes that the terminal project will not be hampered by any political problems, such as in Kiev, where the airport development project was put off for many years due to political disagreement.

Flick also admitted that airBaltic has been affected very much by the crisis – ticket sales in Latvia have dropped sharply, and the airline has re-oriented itself toward transit passengers. At the moment, only 10% of airBaltic passengers are from Latvia, behind Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, German, Swedish and Russian passengers.

airBaltic estimates that the situation in Latvia will grow worse yet, also due to the planned tax hikes as they will further reduce domestic consumption and travels.

The situation in Estonia is much better, whereas the situation in Lithuania is already stabilizing, Flick said.