Rix Airport expects 7.1 million passengers amid fuel price pressure
Rix Airport expects to serve 7.1 million to 7.2 million passengers this year, but Laila Odiņa says growth plans are under pressure from closed markets and higher fuel prices. The airport handled 1.997 million passengers in the first four months of the year, a 1% decline from the same period last year.
Odiņa said the continued closure of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian markets remains one of the biggest obstacles to growth. She also said the airport could lose about 100,000 passengers if direct flights from Riga to Dubai and Tel Aviv are not restored before the end of the year.
Laila Odiņa on route pressure
Speaking on TV3’s 900 sekundes programme on Friday, Odiņa said the sharp rise in aviation fuel prices is having the greatest impact on passenger traffic and airline planning. Higher fuel costs are forcing airlines to reassess route profitability and expansion plans, while new airlines are entering Riga Airport very slowly and in very small numbers.
Riga Airport monitored fuel supply risks after the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. Consultations with fuel suppliers later indicated that supplies should remain sufficient through the end of the summer season.
airBaltic at Riga Airport
Odiņa also said Riga Airport has prepared several contingency scenarios related to the financial difficulties facing Latvia’s national airline, airBaltic. The carrier accounts for about 58% of total passenger traffic at Riga Airport and around 40% of airport revenues, making its performance central to the airport’s near-term planning.
She said, “airBaltic’s survival is, of course, extremely important to us.” She added, “However, we have developed scenarios for how we would adapt if circumstances changed. It would take time, but in the long term it would not be critical for the airport.”
Riga International Airport remains the largest aviation hub in the Baltic states, and this year’s traffic target sits just above last year’s 7.111 million passengers. Passenger numbers in 2025 were 9% below pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019, leaving the airport with growth pressure even before the fuel and market constraints are counted.
