Latvia’s airBaltic has commenced its first-ever scheduled service to Africa, with two weekly flights to Marrakesh, Morocco.
Launched on October 31, 2022, airBaltic plans to serve the route from its hub in Riga during the 2022/2023 fall and winter season, with its fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
The airline first announced plans to launch scheduled services to Marrakesh in a statement released in June 2022.
"We are delighted to announce the first scheduled route to Africa. We are the leading airline company in the Baltic States, we continue to expand our network and add more interesting leisure destinations for the winter season," Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic said in the statement. The airline favors Marrakesh as a “popular foreign tourist attraction in Morocco.”
While airBaltic is the only airline to operate between Riga and Marrakesh, the carrier joins other traditional and low-cost airlines, such as Ryanair, Wizz Air, EasyJet, Eurowings, Vueling Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia British Airways and TAP Air Portugal which also operate flights to Marrakesh.
Founded in 1995, airBaltic’s main shareholder is the Latvian state with 97.97% of the shares. The airline’s operation model combines practices of both traditional airlines and low-cost carriers.
Based in Riga, Latvia, airBaltic is currently the world's largest operator of the Airbus A220-300.
By 2024, the airline expects to have a total of 50 A220-300s. In addition, airBaltic has options to purchase an extra 30 A220-300 jets.