newstodate.aero

May 03, 2022 (newstodate): Since May 2020, the Latvian carrier airBaltic is basing its strategy on a single-type fleet, currently operating 34 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with #35 already on the Final Assembly Line and another five to be delivered in 2022.
   The fleet capacity clearly overtakes the airline's own needs in a market still suffering after the Covid-19 depression and now also the Russian invasion of Ukraine putting an efficient end to airBaltic's earlier hold on transit traffic between Europe and Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, now at a complete stop.
   airBaltic has thus dedicated so far 11 Airbus A220-300 aircraft to the wet-lease market, with airline customers including Eurowings and SAS.
   However, airBaltic is now also wet-leasing aircraft from other operators:  one Airbus 319 from the Romanian airline Just Us Air, one Boeing 737-800 from the Ukrainian carrier SkyUp, one Boeing 737-900 from Ukraine International Airlines, one Boeing 737-800 from the Zcech carrier SmartWings, and one Embraer E190 from a yet-unnamed airline.
   -airBaltic wet-leased some of its aircraft for the summer season as the travel demand in the Baltic region has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, explains airBaltic Corporate Communications.
   -Currently, the airline has wet-leased in additional aircraft short term due to impact caused by the global supply chain issues. Such a decision enables the company to ensure its planned flight schedule.
   Sources outside airBaltic claim that the tactics may be to lease out own capacity at high rates to external customers, and lease-in external capacity at lower rates to benefit from the profit margin.