At the beginning of May 2024, airBaltic Training accepted its tenth training aircraft – Diamond DA40 NG – for the airBaltic Pilot Academy, manufactured by Diamond Aircraft.
It was publicly presented during the inaugural airBaltic Backstage Experience event, exclusively for holders of Planies NFTs, part of the airBaltic Club loyalty program. The aircraft features a special Planies NFT livery and will be operated by students of the airBaltic Pilot Academy. The distinctive livery design celebrates airBaltic’s forward-thinking loyalty program, which offers extraordinary advantages to airBaltic Club members.
Pauls Cālītis, Chief Operations Officer of airBaltic, stated, “The arrival of this 10th Diamond aircraft underscores the Pilot Academy’s ongoing commitment to investing in top-tier training aircraft. We are delighted, that our academy continues to develop and has already established a solid track record. Looking ahead, we are confident that the demand for pilots will only increase, and we are excited to continue welcoming new students to our program – as skilled and well-trained professionals are key to the success of any airline.”
“We are proud to support the growth of Air Baltic Training,” says Jane Wang, Sales Director, Diamond Aircraft Austria. “Air Baltic Training and Diamond Aircraft have a long and very good relationship and we are looking forward to continue to support their mission with our efficient and safe aircraft.”
There are 135 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from the Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Spain and Italy among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 97 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.
More information about the Pilot Academy: www.pilotacademy.com.
airBaltic in brief:
airBaltic (Air Baltic Corporation AS) is a joint stock company that was established in 1995. Its primary shareholder is the Latvian state, which holds 97.97% of the stock, while the rest of the shareholders hold 2.03%. airBaltic offers connections to more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Caucasus region. Over the last 28 years airBaltic has developed as a strong and internationally respected airline, which employs more than 2 500 employees. The airBaltic fleet consists of 47 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, making it one of the youngest fleets in Europe. The airline has received several international awards for excellence, innovative services and significant achievements. Skytrax has awarded airBaltic two years in a row as the best airline in its region. Additionally, in 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) awarded airBaltic the Diversity and Inclusion Team Award. In 2023 the airline received the APEX Passenger Choice Award of Best Cabin Service in Europe.
airBalticTraining, a subsidiary of airBaltic, is a training facility offering a wide range of aviation training services in its modern and purpose-built training centre in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 2010 and since then each year provides training to approximately 3 000 professionals from across the world – more than 1 500 pilots, almost 1 000 cabin crew members and several hundred of ground handlers, cargo agents, security personnel and others.
