Airport, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

Bertolt Flick.

As reported, the state-owned joint-stock company RIGA International Airport will turn to the Riga Regional Court, claiming that a debt of more than LVL 2.5 million be levied from airBaltic. The airport will ask the court to arrest airBaltic payments to third parties, as well as the airline's funds in credit institutions and other financial institutions, to secure its claim.

According to the airport, airBaltic ran up the debt of more than LVL 2.5 million by not paying for various airport services since end-2009.

Flick, however, says in the statement that he found out about the airport's claims against airBaltic only from the media. No information has been received from courts that a case has been launched against the airline, informs LETA.

Flick reminds that the airport's tariffs changed on November 1 last year, however, low-cost airline Ryanair continues to pay the airport as much as it used to pay before November 1. airBaltic has information that Ryanair pays the Riga Airport EUR 4.5 per passenger, which landing fee, ground handling costs and airport tax.

"We, on the other hand, saw airport ground handling tariff increased 60% from January 1. Furthermore, in April the airport introduced infrastructure fee for ground handling, which raised the costs even more. Therefore, airBaltic total cost of landing fee, ground handling service and airport tax make up nearly EUR 10 per passenger," said Flick. "It is unacceptable that Riga International Airport has increased its tariffs for airBaltic several times since last November in order to cover losses caused by the airport's contract with Ryanair. It is absurd that a company, which partly belongs to the state of Latvia, has to pay twice as much as some Irish company. We have had countless talks with the Transport Ministry and the airport's executives about the problem, but we have still not found a solution."

Flick reminds that airBaltic has turned to the Competition Council over the airport's discriminatory policy, and has also prepared a lawsuit. The amount of the possible airBaltic claim against the airport is LVL 7 million.

According to Flick, the airport does not even deny that airBaltic has to pay two times more per passenger than the Irish airline. At the same time, airBaltic transports four times more passengers to/from Riga than Ryanair.

"It is not a goal for airBaltic to make Ryanair pay more. airBaltic is prepared to sign a contract with the Riga Airport any time if the contract will give airBaltic the same privileged conditions as for Ryanair," stressed Flick. "At the moment, airBaltic together with the Transport Ministry is looking for a solution, so that the Latvian airline be not discriminated. We are surprised that the Riga International Airport is publicly pressurizing airBaltic, not looking for a constructive solution."