As most airlines scrap jet orders, Air Baltic is throttling up

Air Baltic plans to resume flying on May 14, a day after Latvia’s travel lockdown is due to end, initially serving 12 routes from Riga . An Airbus SE A220 plane with Air Canada Livery sits at the end of the assembly line at the Airbus Canada LP assembly and finishing site in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020.

LONDON: Airlines are doing everything they can to scrap or delay jetliner deliveries amid an unprecedented collapse in air travel. Not Air Baltic Corp.

The East European carrier has started talks with Airbus SE to accelerate handovers of its A220 model, chief executive officer (CEO) Martin Gauss said in an interview. The existing plan to assemble a fleet of 50 of the narrow-body jets by 2025 could come to fruition a couple of years early, he said.