AirBaltic President and CEO Bertolt Flick welcomed the new fleet member as “an excellent airplane that will serve the long range routes in airBaltic’s network. Moreover, with its reduced costs per seat, the Boeing 757-200 will help secure cheaper prices for passengers.” The plane will be used on flights to Almaty, Tashkent, London, Tel Aviv, Barcelona and other destinations.

Next on airBaltic’s annual fleet shopping list is one more Boeing 757-200 in June plus three Boeing 737-300s. Over the next three years, airBaltic also expects to acquire other new aircraft, marking the largest fleet expansion in the company’s history. Following a deal with Bombardier Aerospace, the airline will see deliveries of at least eight new, fresh-from-the-factory Q400 NextGen aircraft.

“The features of the Q400 NextGen airliner make the aircraft a very attractive addition to our fleet,” explains Mr Flick. “The performance, comfort and superb operating economics make the Q400 NextGen turboprop a highly effective product. airBaltic will start substituting its current Fokker 50 fleet with Q400 NextGen in 2009 thus increasing the capacity and efficiency of the airline’s regional operations.”