airBaltic To Grow Airbus A220 Fleet To 100 Jets By 2030

Latvian flag carrier airBaltic is continuing to firm up orders for more aircraft, and I can’t help but be impressed by this carrier’s growth.

airBaltic now has 90 firm Airbus A220 orders

airBaltic has just firmed up an order for an incremental 10 Airbus A220-300s. With this airBaltic now has firm orders for 90 A220s, with options for an additional 10 aircraft, meaning the carrier could eventually have up to 100 aircraft.

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For context on this order, prior to mid-2023, the airline only had a total of 50 A220s on order — the airline already has 48 A220s in its fleet, so it was nearing the end of its prior order book. Then the airline announced plans to order up to 50 more of these jets, including firm orders for 30 more jets, and options for 20 more jets. So with today’s announcement, 10 of those 20 options have been made firm.

airBaltic has made it clear that the airline hopes to operate a fleet of 100 jets by 2030, as an all-Airbus A220 operator. The airline was the launch customer for the A220-300 in 2016, and it’s currently the largest operator of this variant in the world. The airline has exclusively been flying A220s since 2020, with no signs of that changing.

The Airbus A220-300 is an incredibly capable jet. airBaltic has equipped these planes with 145 seats, and the planes have great fuel economy (25% less fuel burn than previous generation aircraft), industry leading passenger comfort (thanks in large part to the 2-3 configuration), and amazing range (up to 3,450 nautical miles).

Here’s what airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss had to say about this latest order:

“For the first time in the company’s history, airBaltic plans to operate a fleet of close to 100 A220-300 aircraft, and these exercised options are the next step in the right direction. Over the years, this aircraft type has proven its operational capabilities and value – it has been the backbone of our operations and has played an integral role in the international success story of airBaltic. By exercising these options, we are strengthening our unwavering support and trust in the A220 Programme and are looking forward to our fleet expansion over the upcoming years.”

The success & growth of airBaltic makes me happy

airBaltic is just such a breath of fresh air in the airline industry, in my opinion:

• The airline is government owned, yet despite that, is run with incredible discipline and like a for-profit operation
• The level of fleet consistency that airBaltic has been focused on is basically unrivaled, and I love how the airline just keeps doubling down on the same plane, as the synergies are amazing
• airBaltic has grown slowly but steadily in recent years, with a level of consistency that you also don’t see from many airlines, let alone ones owned by the government
• Despite having a tough several years (between the pandemic and the closure of Russian airspace), airBaltic has maintained its core strategy and has gotten creative, from leasing out its jets to other airlines, to setting up hubs at other destinations in winter
• I think airBaltic’s hustle of leasing out A220s to other operators is really smart and worth highlighting; the airline has lower labor costs than many other European countries, and the A220 is a plane that’s easy to lease out, when other airlines need additional capacity in peak season

Oh, airBaltic’s CEO is also pretty darn cool, as he’s an Airbus A220 captain himself. What a guy!

Now, the one thing I’ll say is that with airBaltic planning on growing its fleet to 100 A220s over time, I do wonder where exactly the airline plans to fly all those planes during off-peak periods. I imagine this strategy has to rely heavily on airBaltic’s robust wet leasing business, but that demand exists in summer, and not winter.

While airBaltic has had success with setting up some foreign bases, having 100 jets to fly profitably in winter is no small task.

Bottom line

airBaltic now has a firm order for up to 90 Airbus A220-300s, plus options for 10 more of these planes. In total, airBaltic hopes to fly 100 A220s by 2030. airBaltic is such an impressive airline, and incredibly well run. I’m happy to see the carrier’s continued success, despite the industry challenges it has faced.

What do you make of airBaltic’s A220 order?