newstodate.aero
Dec 16, 2010 (newstodate): Plans for construction of new terminal facilities at Latvia's Riga Airport have long been on the table. And as time goes by, the situation grows more and more confusing.
First the Latvian government would support and co-finance the plan to build a new passenger terminal.
In March 2009, the Turkish company TAV, together with its Latvian partner Skonto Buve, won the tender for construction of the planned passenger terminal and development of a second runway by the middle of 2010, aiming at completing the first stage by June, 2012.
Then, in autumn 2009, the Latvian state withdrew from the agreement with TAV, prompting the Latvian carrier airBaltic into spearheading the realization of the project without any state investments.
In June 2010, airBaltic and the Turkish company TAV Airports Holding A.S. set up a Joint Venture for the development, construction and operation of a new passenger terminal at Riga International Airport, and a tender for the architectural design of the terminal was opened.
This autumn, the Latvian state again vented the intention to finance the building of the terminal - and now plans have been aired by the airport that what is needed may be a new low-cost terminal plus expansion of the existing passenger terminal.
Whatever emerges from the confusion, expanded passenger terminal facilities are sorely needed for airBaltic to continue its strengthening of the growing hub-and-spoke system successfully developed by the carrier.
-The infrastructure of the Riga airport reached its design capacity in 2007, but thanks to the airport's efforts and improvements, it will be possible to service the constantly increasing number of passengers until 2011. Beyond 2011, further development and any increase in passenger numbers at Riga Airport will not be possible without a new terminal, airBaltic president and CEO, Bertolt Flick said at a press conference in Riga on January 14, 2010.
First the Latvian government would support and co-finance the plan to build a new passenger terminal.
In March 2009, the Turkish company TAV, together with its Latvian partner Skonto Buve, won the tender for construction of the planned passenger terminal and development of a second runway by the middle of 2010, aiming at completing the first stage by June, 2012.
Then, in autumn 2009, the Latvian state withdrew from the agreement with TAV, prompting the Latvian carrier airBaltic into spearheading the realization of the project without any state investments.
In June 2010, airBaltic and the Turkish company TAV Airports Holding A.S. set up a Joint Venture for the development, construction and operation of a new passenger terminal at Riga International Airport, and a tender for the architectural design of the terminal was opened.
This autumn, the Latvian state again vented the intention to finance the building of the terminal - and now plans have been aired by the airport that what is needed may be a new low-cost terminal plus expansion of the existing passenger terminal.
Whatever emerges from the confusion, expanded passenger terminal facilities are sorely needed for airBaltic to continue its strengthening of the growing hub-and-spoke system successfully developed by the carrier.
-The infrastructure of the Riga airport reached its design capacity in 2007, but thanks to the airport's efforts and improvements, it will be possible to service the constantly increasing number of passengers until 2011. Beyond 2011, further development and any increase in passenger numbers at Riga Airport will not be possible without a new terminal, airBaltic president and CEO, Bertolt Flick said at a press conference in Riga on January 14, 2010.