Airport, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

Bertolt Flick.

Two previous council members, representing Baltijas aviacijas sistemas, will keep their seats on the council – Ilmars Razumovskis and Jean-Charles Korsak. The three new council members are Transport Ministry's representatives Gints Kirsteins, Uldis Martinsons (New Era) and Niks Bulmanis, the Transport Ministry's State Secretary Anrijs Matiss told Nozare.lv.

The first meeting of the new airBaltic council will be called in two weeks' time, when a decision will be made on how airBaltic brand will be returned to the airline, writes LETA.

The Transport Ministry's representatives on airBaltic council will have a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter as well as the performance of the previous Transport Ministry's representatives on the airline's council.

Matiss also said that the return of the airBaltic brand to the airline depended on not only the financial performance of the airline but also on a number of other commercial factors, for instance, fleet renovation. Therefore, it cannot be said at this time when exactly airBaltic will have its brand back.

As reported, airBaltic shareholders decided at a meeting on August 30 to postpone the election of a new council for the airline. airBaltic's 2009 annual report was approved at the shareholders meeting though.

The Transport Ministry informed that the annual report was approved after lengthy discussions, and it was agreed that after a new council is elected for airBaltic it would appraise the recent sale of airBaltic brand.

A new airBaltic council was not voted in on August 30 because the other airBaltic shareholder, the company Baltijas aviacijas sistemas, had not named candidates for the airline's council, the Transport Ministry stressed.

Transport Minister Kaspars Gerhards (For Fatherland And Freedom/LNNK) said previously that the election of a new council for airBaltic would make the airline's management more transparent and efficient.

As reported, in December of last year, the airBaltic sold the airBaltic brand and all related trademarks to the company Baltijas aviacijas sistemas, owned by airBaltic President Bertolt Flick, which owns a 47.2 percent stake in the airline.

However, following an outbreak of controversy surrounding the deal, Gerhards and Flick later agreed that the trademark of airBaltic must be returned to the company.

The Transport Ministry recalled its representatives from the airBaltic council, which had supported the deal.

Gerhards and Flick later described the scandal surrounding the sale of the airline's brand as a "storm in a teacup", and explained it as problems in communication between the airline's shareholders.