newstodate.aero
Aug 31, 2016 (newstodate): The Latvian cargo carrier RAF-AVIA, based at Riga Airport, is adding a new asset to the fleet: a SAAB 340 passenger aircraft.
Actually the first non-governmental airline in the former Soviet Union and also the first privately-owned airline in Latvia, RAF-AVIA started operations in 1991 and has so far focused only on cargo business serving mainly integrators DHL and TNT in addition to performing ad-hoc operations for other airline customers.
The airline, however, indicated in late 1015 that it had plans for adding passenger traffic in 2016, and the airline's AOC has now been expanded to comprise also the SAAB 340 in passenger version.
-The aircraft is with us now, but we have not yet inked a formal agreement with customers concerning launch of commercial services, says Ojars Sture, RAF-AVIA member of the Board.
-In the fleet are now three AN-26 and two SAAB 340 freighters, and we have also just decided to locate one AN-26 and one SAAB 340 freighter at Frankfurt Hahn, moving from Cochstedt International Airport for purely technical reasons.
-Locating aircraft in Germany allows us to effectively reach our customers for ad-hoc charters in central and western parts of the continent, and this has significantly increased the volume of our charter assignments, says Mr Sture, who is actually leaving his position with today as his last day in office at RAF-AVIA.
Actually the first non-governmental airline in the former Soviet Union and also the first privately-owned airline in Latvia, RAF-AVIA started operations in 1991 and has so far focused only on cargo business serving mainly integrators DHL and TNT in addition to performing ad-hoc operations for other airline customers.
The airline, however, indicated in late 1015 that it had plans for adding passenger traffic in 2016, and the airline's AOC has now been expanded to comprise also the SAAB 340 in passenger version.
-The aircraft is with us now, but we have not yet inked a formal agreement with customers concerning launch of commercial services, says Ojars Sture, RAF-AVIA member of the Board.
-In the fleet are now three AN-26 and two SAAB 340 freighters, and we have also just decided to locate one AN-26 and one SAAB 340 freighter at Frankfurt Hahn, moving from Cochstedt International Airport for purely technical reasons.
-Locating aircraft in Germany allows us to effectively reach our customers for ad-hoc charters in central and western parts of the continent, and this has significantly increased the volume of our charter assignments, says Mr Sture, who is actually leaving his position with today as his last day in office at RAF-AVIA.