The Latvian carrier will restore Riga-Tel Aviv flights on 1 July.
Air Baltic has signed a codeshare agreement with El Al, ahead of the Latvian carrier’s plan to reinstate flights between Riga and Tel Aviv in July.
El Al will place its ‘LY’ designator code on Air Baltic’s Riga-Tel Aviv service, which the carrier will operate three times a week from 1 July. Air Baltic’s flights from Riga to Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vienna, Vilnius and Zurich will also carry El Al’s code.
In turn, Air Baltic will place its ‘BT’ code on El Al-operated flights from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam, Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, Milan, Berlin and Zurich.
Air Baltic says it made the decision to return to Tel Aviv after determining that demand for air travel to the Israeli city is growing, “as the situation in the Middle East stabilises”. The carrier notes that it will “continue to monitor the situation and adjust operations if necessary”. The airline says it will follow the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA’s) recommendations and insurer requirements.
“Israel is an important market for the Baltics, supported by strong cultural connections, family ties, growing tourism flows and expanding business relations between our regions,” states Air Baltic vice-president network management Mantas Vrubliauskas.
Carriers have been gradually announcing plans to resume Tel Aviv flights after pulling out of the market when the Iran conflict began in late February. Lufthansa Group said in mid-May that its carriers would gradually restore Tel Aviv services throughout June and July.
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