Riga International Airport is the property of the Government of Latvia and serves the city of Riga, capital of Latvia. Located within the Marupe Municipality of Latvia, the airport serves as a hub for Wizz Air, airBaltic that is the Latvian national carrier and SmartLynx Airlines. It also serves as a base for RAF-Avia, Vip Avia and Inversija. The Riga International Airport is the largest of all the airports within the Baltic states. It provides non-stop flights to more than eighty destinations in thirty countries worldwide. The holder of the airports share capital is the Latvian Ministry of Transport. The airport has had a steady increase of passengers over the past years serving over 4.8 million passengers in 2014. This was a 0.4% increase in the number of passengers received in 2013.
The Riga International Airport was constructed in the 1973 as an alternate to the then outdated Spilve Airport. In 2001, to coincide with 800th anniversary celebrations of the city's founding, renovations were completed at the Riga International Airport to bring the airport to modern standards. The airport opened a new extension to the north terminal in 2006. That same year, two local companies, SR-Technik and Concors opened a repair, maintenance and overhaul facility in 2006. Today, the airport has three terminals. Schengen departures are catered for by terminal B whilst departures to non-Schengen countries are handled by terminals A and C. For arrivals, persons from Schengen countries are covered by Arrivals 1 located at Terminal A. Persons from non-Schengen countries utilize arrivals 2 which is situate in Terminal C. Passengers utilizing the Riga International airport has risen steadily from 310,000 in 1993 to 4.8 million in 2014. The airport presently serves as the head office for airBaltic and the Latvian Civil Agency Aviation Authority.
Numerous airlines utilize the Riga International Airport. From this airport over 80 destinations are covered across the world. Amongst the numerous airlines that use the Riga International Airport are Aeroflot, airBaltic, Brussels airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Lufthansa, Turkmenistan Airlines and Finnair operating through Flybe Nordic. Other airlines are Ellinair, which carries out seasonal flights to Thessaloniki and charters to Corfu as well as Trans-aero airlines. Cargo airlines include DHL Aviation under the operations of EAT Leipzig, RAF-Avia, Kalitta Air and SprintAir.
The Riga International Airport was on the 26 April 2015, the recipient of the award for being the best airport that handles up to five million passengers annually at the Emerging Market Airports Award.
Riga International Airport covers numerous destinations across the world. They include the Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport, Brussels, London-Gatwick Airport, New York John F. Kennedy Airport, and Istanbul-Ataturk airport. Other destinations include seasonal flights to Aalborg, Athens, Chisinau, Nice and Odessa. The airport also handles cargo to and from destinations such as Leipzig, Aalborg, Ankara, Prague and Bagram. Amongst the various routes, the London-United Kingdom is the busiest with over 400,000 passengers transported annually through Ryanair, airBaltic and Wizz Air.
This method is available to passengers flying Ryanair, Lufthansa, airBaltic, Utair, Transaero, Wizz Air, Aeroflot, LOT and Utair. However, the rules and regulations applicable to online check-in vary with each airline so passengers are advised to read the rules on the airlines website before commencing check-in.
Online check-in is unavailable where the passenger needs a visa to the country of destination or where the passengers' passport data is required at the country of destination. Where online check-in is unavailable, passengers are kindly requested to check-in at the check-in desk at the airport. Baggage cannot be checked in online but can be carried out at the baggage drop-off desk located within the airport's check-in area. Passengers, who only carry hand luggage can upon checking in online, proceed through security clearance and afterwards to board the aircraft.
Another option available for passengers are self-check-in kiosks. This is available to clients of Lufthansa, LOT, airBaltic, Finnair and Transaero. In addition to the limitations governing online check-in, self-check-in kiosks are not permitted for unattended travellers less than 18 years, persons requiring special assistance, persons travelling with infant and travelling groups of more than 10 persons.
Check-in Counter- Passengers unable to check-in online or at the kiosks can make use of the check-in counters located at various parts of the airport.
The luggage allowance permitted for each airline is dependent on the intended airline of travel. Passengers are advised to consult their airline's website to know the baggage allowance before proceeding to check-in.
Seating varies depending on the airline. Hence travellers are advised to check with the airline to know more about their seating requirements, rules and other guidelines.
Each airline is responsible for fixing its fares. Intending travellers should check with their airline to know the flight fare to the destination of their choice.
See all airports in Latvia.