airBaltic shores up fleet, takes delivery of 39th Airbus A220-300

Latvian airline airBaltic has taken delivery of its 39th Airbus A220-300 jet, further extending its lead as the world’s largest operator of the aircraft type.

The aircraft was delivered on December 31st, 2022, at its hub at Riga International Airport, the airline confirmed in a statement.

Registered as YL-ABM, the aircraft is the 7th Airbus aircraft delivery for the airline in 2022, bringing its all-Airbus fleet to 39 aircraft.

The Latvian flag carrier expects to operate a total of 50 A220-300s by 2024 and has purchase options to acquire an extra 30 A220-300 jets from the European aircraft manufacturer.

AirBaltic’s operating model combines practices from both traditional airlines and low-cost carriers. The airline’s main shareholder is the Latvian state, holding 97.97% of the airline’ shares.

Operating from the Baltic region, the airline connects Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to a network of over 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In late October 2022, airBaltic launched its first-ever scheduled service to Africa, with two weekly flights to Marrakesh, Morocco.