Airport, Legislation, Transport

Candidates for the vacancy on airBaltic board are being looked for and evaluated both in Latvia and abroad. The airBaltic council will appoint the third board member, writes LETA.

The chairman of the council Gints Kirsteins noted that currently discussions are taking place on the salary of the chairman of the board. It is clear that it will be significant, but it is undecided yet whether it will be equal to that of the outgoing airBaltic CEO Bertolt Flick's salary.

Asked why the third board member and the possible airline's president has not yet been appointed, Kirsteins pointed out that the salary question is important – everyone knows how much Flick received, therefore no one wants to work for less.

Negotiations are now taking place, said the newly elected council chairman.

As reported, at a meeting last night, six new members of airBaltic council were elected, and the council in turn elected two board members. A third member is to be elected at a later date.

Elected to the council from the state were Latvian State Radio and Television Center board member Gints Kirsteins, Raitis Tukans, Niks Bulmanis, heretofore airBaltic council members, as well as Karl Gunther Sollinger, who has also previously served on the council and at SAS; for the private shareholders – Latvijas Krajbanka board member Martins Zalans and Russian citizen, financier Andrei Kutasin.

Kirsteins was appointed council chairman.

The council then elected two board members: airBaltic Chief Operations Officer Laila Odina and former investment banker, now CEO at the holding company Felix, Vitolds Jakovlevs.

It is possible that the national airline's airBaltic number of flights and destinations could change, but this will be decided by the new board of the airline, the Ministry of Transport State Secretary Anrijs Matiss told reporters after the election of the new airBaltic council yesterday.

He noted that the board ensures the airline's operational activities and will carry out restructuring and optimization of the company, as well as revise the airline's flights and destinations. A new business plan will be developed and the business model of airBaltic will be improved in the next two months.

Matiss said that that the airline should continue to provide favorable conditions to passengers as well as affordable prices, and fly to those destinations that residents and companies value the most.

He said that he is certain the company will continue successful development. The events of the past days have ensured that passengers can safely buy airBaltic tickets.

"The trust in the company has been restored, and I hope that we will be able to continue successful development of airBaltic in the future," added Matiss.