Ryanair plans to double Baltic traffic as airBaltic shrinks

Ryanair plans to double its passenger numbers in the Baltic countries over the next five years. The Irish carrier says the move responds directly to cutbacks by regional competitor airBaltic.

Ryanair expects to reach annual capacity of 11 million seats across Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania by 2031, and to raise its fleet based in the region from seven aircraft to 16.

Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness said in a statement that the proposal gained importance after airBaltic announced it would reduce its fleet by a third. The Latvian carrier said in August it would cut its fleet from 54 to 36 aircraft by the end of 2026, against a previous goal of 100 aircraft. By 2031 it expects to operate about 40 aircraft.

The Baltic expansion is part of a wider Ryanair roadmap that includes its order for the Boeing 737 MAX 10. The airline's broader target is 300 million passengers.

Airline executives and investors have said the cost crisis caused by the war between the United States and Iran could push smaller national carriers to hand key routes to larger, better-capitalised rivals, particularly low-cost operators such as Ryanair.