airBaltic to cut up to 700 jobs in the Baltics

Latvian airline airBaltic notified Latvia's state employment agency of a collective redundancy on 05.10.2026; 500 to 700 of its roughly 3,000 staff at the Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn bases could be affected. The cuts follow a new business plan after the creditor protection proceedings opened in mid-September: the fleet is to shrink from 54 to about 36 aircraft by the end of 2026, talks with unions on shorter working hours for pilots and cabin crew are under way, and no individual decisions have been taken yet (aeroTELEGRAPH, 05.10.2026; second source: LSM, 05.10.2026). Update (25 Oct 2026): On 14 Sep 2026 airBaltic filed for Chapter 11 protection with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, together with certain subsidiaries; flights continue as scheduled and tickets and bookings remain valid. The process is meant to provide a framework for negotiations with creditors such as aircraft lessors (AviTrader, 14 Sep 2026). Update (30 Oct 2026): airBaltic confirmed to LSM that it plans to cut about 300 flying-crew jobs, around 100 pilots (bases Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn) and 200 cabin crew (all in Riga); the figures may still change after staff assessments, reflecting changes to the 2027 timetable and route network, and the Latvian aviation union criticises the selection criteria (aeroTELEGRAPH, 30 Oct 2026). The 300 jobs are part of the range above, not additional. Update (30 October 2026): airBaltic will base only two instead of three A220-300s in Vilnius this winter, where 81 people work; how many jobs will go in Lithuania is open, and the company says it will be fewer than initially planned (LRT, 30 October 2026).