Bertolt Flick, airBaltic’s President commented, “We are pleased to be able to offer passengers this convenient way of getting to Odessa, a popular Black Sea resort known throughout the CIS region for its unique brand of humour. The city possesses a certain charm already very familiar to many Baltic travellers and that is why we anticipate that the flights to Odessa will be much in demand.” Founded by Catherine the Great in 1795, Odessa has a short but eventful history. The city is best known for its role in the 1905 revolution when the mutinous battleship Potemkin Tavrichesky supported rebellious workers. Today, its well-planned streets, beautiful parks and splendid buildings serve as a backdrop to the forces of capitalism. A thriving tourist trade has built up around Odessa’s beaches, and its position as the southern gateway to Ukraine makes Odessa the natural meeting point for business with the Baltic states and the rest of Europe. No visit to Odessa would be complete without a walk along Deribasovskaya Street, home to first-rate museums and the ornate 19th-century Opera and Ballet Theatre. A masterpiece of baroque and renaissance-style architecture, the theatre is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. At Privoz farmers’ market, you can supposedly find anything up to and including nuclear devices. It would be much more accurate, however, to praise the variety of in-season foodstuffs on offer. As a start, airBaltic will operate three flights a week to Odessa: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The pricing schedule for this route is based on one-way tickets: flights to Odessa cost LVL 61 (including airport taxes) and up, but tickets purchased on the Internet LVL41 (including airport taxes) and up. Tickets to Odessa have been available from July 12 at airBaltic’s ticket offices, on the Internet and at travel agencies. airBaltic operates its Odessa flights with Fokker 50 aircraft and the trip takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes. A visa-free regime is in place between Ukraine and the EU until September 1 -- a result of the Eurovision Song Contest finals having been held in Kiev in May. As previously announced, airBaltic already operates direct flights to the Ukrainian capital Kiev five times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flights
Riga – Odessa: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays | 
