Riga to host international aviation conference

"Going to North Hub Riga" is the title of an upcoming international aviation conference which will focus on air traffic in the Baltic region, including the development of Riga as an important air traffic centre. The conference will be held on April 29 and is being organised by airBaltic.

The conference will allow aviation industry leaders, government representatives and relevant officials from the European Union to exchange views and experiences related to the direction in which the industry is headed. There will be an emphasis on the future of competitive hubs in the industry. Riga is being developed as a hub for the North-Eastern region of Europe.

During the last several years, Riga has progressed toward becoming the air traffic centre of the Baltic countries. Up until 2004 and 2005, passenger numbers at the airports in Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius were more or less equal. Since that time, however, Riga has positioned itself as a transfer hub, successfully attracting increasing passenger numbers not just from the other two Baltic States, but also from Scandinavia, Western Europe and the East.

"Keeping this development in mind, we plan to expand the Riga Airport," says airBaltic President Bertolt Flick. "This is a development which must be promoted with all due diligence by all who are involved in this process. If we are to strengthen Riga’s position as a major transfer hub for West-East and North-South passengers, then we will need more terminal space, new and efficient facilities for the handling of transit passengers, attractive shops and the other amenities that modern travellers expect during their journeys.

“It is high time to discuss the situation in European aviation in the future, looking at social trends, customer expectations and habits, and the resulting demand for air transportation."

Subject matter at the conference will be the following: global trends in the aviation industry; EU and regional co-operation in aviation; legislative developments; passenger flows; airport construction and renewal in Riga; exchange of experiences among airports and airlines.

airBaltic has chosen this conference to present the designs for a new airport terminal to colleagues in the industry. Work on the terminal is to be completed in the year 2012.

Participants at the conference will come from governments, airlines, airports and EU organisations.