Flights between Aberdeen and Riga have taken off, putting Latvia’s capital within a few hours’ reach of the Granite City.
The new service is expected to appeal to business passengers and leisure travellers, with Riga becoming increasingly popular as a destination for short breaks. Riga also offers onward travel options for the rest of the Baltic, Scandinavia, Russia and former Soviet republics, including oil-rich Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
The new airBaltic service, using Boeing 737 aircraft, operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
One-way ticket prices for the two-hours-and-40-minute flight start at around £46, including tax, airport fees and transaction charges.
Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) managing director Carol Benzie said: “Riga is growing in popularity as a city break destination from this region and I am confident it will be well-received.
“The wider connections that Riga airport has to offer will also make this an attractive option for the business community reaching into new networks and regions.”
AirBaltic was founded in 1995 and is 99.8%-owned by the Latvian government. It describes itself as a hybrid airline, combining best practices from traditional network carriers and low-cost operators.
It currently operates direct flights out of two Baltic capitals – Riga and also Vilnius in Lithuania.