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AirBaltic to build cargo hangar in Latvia

AirBaltic will run a cargo terminal for the Riga Airport. (Photo: Flickr/Jevgenijs Slihto CC BY 2.0)

Latvian flag carrier airBaltic has leased land from Riga Airport to build a new air cargo warehouse capable of handling 33,000 tons of cargo each year, the parties announced Thursday.

The 6,460-square-foot storage facility will be the largest dedicated to air cargo in the Baltics and increase the amount of cargo that can be handled at the airport, according to a press release. The existing cargo hangar is being demolished to make way for a rail line linking the Baltic states with Europe. 

With its fleet of 25 Airbus A220-300 regional jets, airBaltic carries more cargo in the lower deck of its passenger flights than any other carrier operating at Riga Airport. 

Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2022 and be completed by early 2024. How much is being invested was not disclosed, but airBaltic is borrowing money to finance the project.


The warehouse will be operated by airBaltic’s cargo-handling subsidiary.

The government of Latvia owns 96% of airBaltic.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, he was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. Eric is based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached for comments and tips at [email protected]