airBaltic’s chief executive foresees a future in which the airline could operate as many as 100 Airbus A220 aircraft. However, he warns that, for this to happen, negotiations with Airbus would have to conclude positively.

“We have a firm order of 50 aircraft with another eight aircraft coming within approximately the next 12 months,” said Martin Gauss, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of airBaltic in an interview with AeroTime.

The executive added that the Latvian flag carrier is currently in discussions to exercise an additional 30 options, taking the airline’s order book to a total of 80 aircraft so that it has sufficient aircraft for the years beyond 2024.

airBaltic’s 42nd and latest Airbus A220, registered as YL-ABP, arrived at its home base Riga Airport (RIX) on May 27, 2023.

The airline would like to add more Airbus A220 options for the future, following a potential deal with the manufacturer for its current options to react to a situation that might change in the coming years

. “But that is something difficult because you need to discuss it [with Airbus],” added Gauss. “Once we have a framework agreed, then we would announce the new aircraft order.”

According to the chief executive of the Latvian airline, a new order would be structured with airBaltic exercising its rights for 30 aircraft and adding 20 more, which would take airBaltic’s total order book to 100.

In a separate statement to AeroTime in May 2023, an Airbus spokesperson said that a stretched variant of the A220 “is a matter of when and not if, though we are not able to give a timeline”.

Has airBaltic had any discussions with Airbus regarding the stretched variant? “We have the normal industry knowledge, which they make public, but we did not have any specific discussions,” Gauss noted.