Dublin, Sept. 18 – Ryanair Baltic expansion is accelerating as Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers seeks to double traffic in the Baltic region after airBaltic bankruptcy protection, targeting growth across Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The low-cost carrier said it will more than double aircraft based in the region to sixteen from seven and provide eleven million annual seats by 2031, capitalising on route capacity left by the Latvian airline’s retrenchment. The plan forms part of Ryanair’s growth strategy to lift annual passengers to three hundred million by 2034 from two hundred eight million as Boeing 737 MAX 10 deliveries begin from 2027.
Ryanair Riga flights will expand first after a cut in airport charges, with ten additional winter routes including Milan, Alicante and Barcelona. Latvia stands to gain immediately from the Ryanair investment Baltic programme, while winter capacity in Lithuania and Estonia will fall twenty-five percent after airport charge increases. That capacity will be redeployed to more competitive markets such as Slovakia, Poland, Italy and Sweden.
AirBaltic, the first European airline to file for bankruptcy amid fallout from the Iran conflict, plans to shrink its fleet by one-third to thirty-six aircraft by the end of 2026 from fifty-four, with a longer-term target of about forty by 2031. Larger, better-capitalised rivals, including low-cost operators, are positioned to take routes as smaller national carriers face a cost crisis.
Ryanair’s double-traffic Baltic ambitions therefore rest on extra seats, more base aircraft and selective winter scheduling that rewards lower charges. The Ryanair Latvia-Estonia-Lithuania network is set to grow over five years if airport economics remain favourable, offering travellers more low-cost airline Baltic region options as airBaltic contracts.