Riga, Latvia – Seven (7) students graduated from the Pilot Academy of the Latvian national airline airBaltic, receiving a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program. Additionally, the 25th group of 15 students has already begun their professional pilot studies.
Martin Gauss, CEO and President of airBaltic: “We are proud to congratulate the latest graduates of the Pilot Academy. Many of them are now preparing to take the next steps in their training, paving way to join the airBaltic team. The success of any airline relies on having skilled and highly trained professionals, and we are committed to fostering such talent.”
Gauss added, “We are equally excited to welcome the 25th group of students as they begin their journey with us. Their dedication and passion will play a crucial role in supporting airBaltic’s ambitions to expand our fleet to 100 aircraft in the coming years. The addition of our second Airbus A220 simulator further confirms our commitment to providing advanced training resources, enabling to uphold the highest standards of safety and operational excellence as we continue to grow.”
The graduates represent countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany, while the new group includes students from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
There are 148 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from the Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Spain and Italy among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 131 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.
Additionally, to further expand its training capabilities, airBaltic has recently received and installed its second Airbus A220 full flight simulator. This state-of-the-art addition will significantly improve the airline’s capacity to train and maintain the qualifications of its growing team of pilots, supporting both the expansion of its fleet and the ongoing development of the Pilot Academy.
With two Airbus A220 full-flight simulators now operating in Northern Europe – both managed by airBaltic – the airline reinforces its position as the region’s premier training hub. The new simulator, offering up to 6 000 hours of availability annually with an optimal utilization target of 5 500 to 6 000 hours, will support both recurrent and initial pilot training while ensuring technical maintenance to maintain peak performance. In addition to meeting the needs of airBaltic’s expanding fleet, it will enhance the airBaltic Pilot Academy’s advanced training programs, such as the Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) course, and provide opportunities to rent training slots to other airlines, maximizing its efficiency and impact.
About airBaltic
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) is the leading airline in the Baltics and one of Europe’s fastest-growing carriers. As a hybrid airline, it leverages the upsides of both traditional network and low-cost carriers. Through a network of more than 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, airBaltic connects the Baltics with over 70 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus. Founded in 1995, today airBaltic operates one of Europe’s youngest fleets, consisting of 49 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, and employs over 2 700 professionals. The company is majority-owned by the Latvian state, which holds a 97.97% stake, with the remaining 2.03% owned by private shareholders.
airBaltic’s commitment to excellence is recognized by numerous prestigious awards including the Best Airline in its region by Skytrax for three consecutive years. In 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) recognized airBaltic with the Diversity and Inclusion Team Award. Furthermore, in 2023, APEX awarded the company the Passenger Choice Award for Best Cabin Service in Europe, and in 2024 airBaltic also received the APEX Four Star Major Airline Award, recognizing its commitment to providing a high-quality travel experience. In 2024, the airline was awarded the PROS AI Innovator Award for leveraging AI to drive transformative outcomes and optimize operations.
airBaltic Training, a subsidiary of airBaltic, is a training facility offering a wide range of aviation training services in its modern and purpose-built training centre in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 2010 and since then each year provides training to approximately 3 000 professionals from across the world – more than 1 500 pilots, almost 1 000 cabin crew members and several hundred of ground handlers, cargo agents, security personnel and others.
Source: airBaltic
Photo Credit: airBaltic