The Latvian carrier Air Baltic decided on Monday 14 September to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in order to restructure a financial situation that had become critical.
Indeed, the company is losing a lot of money, notably due to rising fuel costs. In the first quarter of 2026, it accumulated losses of 70.1 million euros, which is more than double the losses for the same period in 2025.
Its new plan now provides for a drastic reduction in its Airbus A220-300 fleet, which is set to drop from 54 aircraft to just 36 by the end of the year. The airline will also restructure its network, serving 57 destinations from its base in Riga, Latvia, next summer.
She will continue to operate two small bases in Tallinn in Estonia (13 destinations) and Vilnius in Lithuania (8 destinations). Paris will in fact continue to be connected to the three Baltic capitals, and Brussels and Nice to Riga and Tallinn.
No change for passengers
The voluntary procedure, filed in New York, is intended to allow the company to renegotiate its financial commitments and reduce its costs under judicial supervision. Air Baltic thus claims to have secured an additional €350 million in financing commitments from banks and bondholders. This package is designed to provide it with the necessary liquidity during the procedure and allow the normal continuation of its operations.
Which means for its passengers that nothing changes for them. In a message to its customers, Air Baltic assures them that it will continue all planned flights and frequencies in line with the summer schedule and the upcoming winter schedule from October.
The 2027 summer schedule also appears to be secure, as the airline has already agreed to lease part of its fleet to Lufthansa, a 10% shareholder in Air Baltic. Up to 21 of Air Baltic’s Airbus A220-300s can be integrated into the Lufthansa network during periods of high demand.
Filing for Chapter 11 will allow the company to immediately take measures enabling it to make substantial savings, such as suspending its aircraft lease contracts.
The Latvian government holds an 88.41 per cent stake in Air Baltic, as well as 131 per cent of its bonds. It supports the restructuring, whilst Lufthansa has no plans for a further capital injection. Air Baltic says it will complete its restructuring next June and emerge from Chapter 11 at that time.
