Latvian-based carrier airBaltic has announced the cancellation of 4,670 flights from all its bases for the summer season of 2025.
The decision is due to “unexpected delays and prolonged engine maintenance” by its supplier Pratt & Whitney, the carrier announced in a press release published on January 2, 2025.
airBaltic said the engine manufacturer’s inability to meet its timely maintenance obligations has impacted the operational capabilities of the airline’s Airbus A220-300 fleet. Pratt & Whitney informed airBaltic that several of its A220-300 aircraft will remain grounded into 2025 due to an engine shortage.
As a result, the airline will cancel 19 routes and reduce frequencies on 21 others across its bases. In total, 4,670 flights will be cancelled, affecting an estimated 67,160 passengers.
Despite these challenges, airBaltic said it will continue flying to more than 70 destinations in Europe and beyond.
“Like many other airlines worldwide, airBaltic has been facing external factors beyond its control, including global supply chain issues and maintenance constraints,” the press release continued.
The airline said it “deeply regrets the disruption caused by these forced cancellations and remains fully committed to supporting affected customers through rebooking options or full refunds as needed.”
“Minimizing disruption and maintaining reliable service remain top priorities,” read the press release. “airBaltic continues to work closely with Pratt & Whitney to resolve the maintenance delays and find a sustainable solution.”
Customers whose bookings are affected are advised to check their reservations and select alternative flights or request a full refund.
airBaltic operates more than 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, seasonally, Gran Canaria, connecting destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region.
3 comments
It seems to be the right time to reconsider Embraer aircrafts. A combination of the proven E190-E2 and E195-E2 could be an option to ensure airBaltic operations.
A half story is as poor as a lie. airBaltic has a huge lack of pilots because of mistreat of personel. False promises to capture new candidates as well as extremely poor management all the way down the line including Chief Pilots. Yes there are engine issues… but a huge part of the fleet are wet leased out to mainly Lufthansa group and as this is a profitable business it seem like it is a priority more than serving its main Hubs which is sad for their loyal clients. The company is running on a record minus which eventually will lead to bankruptcy…. which will not be a bad factor for P&W.
Peter, your comment seems more pertinent than Paulo’s, who suggested rethinking Embraer aircraft. If, in fact, P&W were the root of the problem, this problem would be shared by dozens of other companies that operate aircraft made from their components. Evidently this reason is not shared, which leads me to believe that the real reason is not Embraer or P&W, but AirBaltic itself.