airBaltic is preparing to cut about 500 to 700 jobs across its bases in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn as part of a wider restructuring tied to a new business plan and a smaller future Airbus A220-300 operation. The Latvian carrier’s flight schedule remains unchanged for now, while consultations with trade unions and labour authorities continue.
The planned reductions could affect as much as a quarter of the airline’s roughly 3,000-strong workforce, although the final number has not yet been fixed. airBaltic has framed the figure as a current estimate, with individual decisions still pending and more detailed organisational structures for the rest of the business due by mid-October.
The workforce move follows the carrier’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing in New York in September and forms part of efforts to reduce debt and bring costs into line with a leaner operation. The restructuring also includes a more concentrated network centred on Riga and greater reliance on ACMI partnerships, while Tallinn and Vilnius are expected to handle smaller point-to-point operations.
airBaltic has notified the Latvian State Employment Agency of the collective redundancy process, with equivalent steps under way in Estonia and discussions continuing over reduced workload arrangements for pilots and cabin crew.