Primera Air Nordic (Riga) has confirmed it will offer its first regular passenger flights out of its Riga base during Summer 2018.
In a statement, the carrier said that as a result of booming growth and air travel tourism trends in the region, it will offer weekly B737-800 flights from Riga to Malaga, Spain for the duration of Summer 2018.
Though registered and based out of Latvia, the carrier primarily operates scheduled charter flights from points in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland to destinations around the Mediterranean, the CIS, as well as the Middle East. Parent firm, Primera Travel Group, has said in the past that the Latvian AOC allows the Scandinavian tour operator to be more flexible, especially in terms of labour regulations and unionisation. As a result, it is able to compete more effectively with larger carriers in the increasingly tight Northern European aviation market.
"Starting flights from Latvia is a crucial step for us, something we have been looking forward to ever since moving our headquarters to Latvia," Primera Air VP and chief commercial officer Anastasija Visnakova, said. "Our cost base allows us to compete with such carriers as Norwegian, Vueling Airlines, Ryanair and others. We will be able to provide a very competitive product for both individual travelers and travel agencies in Latvia."
