The new base of Norwegian airline in Riga opens up more opportunities for economic cooperation

Today the base of Norwegian airline opened in Riga Airport. Opening a habitual base will strengthen the company's presence in Latvia. Riga Airport will be the base airport for the airline's 30 pilots and 60 flight crew employees, providing direct connections to six destinations.

"We have had a very good cooperation experience with Latvia and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. We are pleased to officially open our base with pilots and cabin crew. This weekend, we will launch flights to Tivat and Corfu, thus increasing our route network to and from Latvia to six routes. Our goal is to continue expanding in the region," says Geir Carlsen, CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA.

Norwegian airline will offer direct connections from Riga to Oslo, Trondheim, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Corfu and Tivat.

"Many thanks to the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) for its input in negotiations with the airline Norwegian and to the airline Norwegian for the choice made for its new base. I am convinced this was the right choice because we - the Ministry of Economy and the Government - are now working hard to make Latvia the most attractive place for investment in the region. I am pleased that Norwegian has appreciated the growth potential of Latvia, which we see as doubling the size of the country's economy over the next decade," said Viktors Valainis, the Minister of Economy.

LIAA Representative Office in Norway started cooperating with Norwegian in 2020 when a business services center was established in Riga. The opening of the airline's base in Riga is the next step in a process that will help develop cooperation between Latvia and Norway in business, tourism, and other sectors.

"Norway already is a TOP10 investor in Latvia and the country's 12th largest export partner. With the opening of this base, we see new opportunities for developing economic cooperation. The example of Norwegian could potentially encourage other Norwegian companies to develop their business in Latvia," says Iveta Strupkaja, Acting Director of LIAA.

Norwegian airline has been present in Latvia since 2005, and Riga is the company's largest market in the Baltics.  Riga is an attractive destination for both tourists and business people. It is also significant that Riga is included on the UNESCO list. An additional incentive to open the base was that 10,000 Latvians are currently living in Norway, and Norwegian companies are among the largest foreign investors in Latvia. In total, 236 Norwegian companies are registered in the country. In addition, many travelers use Riga also for transit flights.

Norwegian Group is a leading Nordic group of airlines headquartered in Fornebu near Oslo. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two leading airlines in the Nordic countries - Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe's Flyveselskap.

Norwegian Air Shuttle is Norway's largest airline, with around 4,700 employees, and operates an extensive route network connecting the Nordic countries to major European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried more than 20 million passengers and had a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX8 aircrafts.

Widerøe's Flyveselskap is not only Norway's oldest airline, but also the largest regional airline of Scandinavia. The airline employs more than 3,500 people. In 2023, the airline carried 3.3 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8s aircraft and three Embraer E190-E2s aircraft. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground-handling services at 41 airports in Norway.

Sustainability is one of the key objectives of Norwegian Group, and the company is committed to significantly reducing its carbon footprint. The most significant initiative in this respect is contributing to producing and using sustainable aviation fuels.

Facts and figures

• Norwegian made its first flight on 10 November 2005. 
• In 2020, the office in Riga was opened, currently now employing 160 employees.
• Riga is the 12th base of the company and the 5th country to deploy the base of Norwegian.
• In 2023, 205,000 passengers travelled between Norway and Latvia.
• Norwegian is the third largest airline by market share at Riga Airport.
• In 2024, 400,000 seats are planned to be ensured for flights from Riga. 180,000 from Lithuania and 82,000 from Estonia.

Source: LIAA
Publicity photo