November 6, 2023
On November 6, 2023 – seven students graduated from the Latvian national airline’s airBaltic Pilot Academy, receiving a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program. In addition, already the 20th group of 15 students began their professional pilot studies. Moreover, it is important to emphasize, that Mr. Kaspars Briškens, the Transport Minister of the Republic of Latvia, complimented the event with his presence.
Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “We are proud of the newest graduates the Pilot Academy. A number of them will commence additional training this month, preparing to soon join the airBaltic team. Having well-trained personnel is a crucial element for the success of any airline. Additionally, we extend our congratulations to the young and motivated students of the 20th group, who embarked on their educational journey today.”
The latest graduates represent countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and the Netherlands. The 20th group represents Latvia, Finland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
There are 110 active students at the airBaltic Pilot Academy at the moment. Most of them are from Baltic countries, however, there are students also from other EU countries such as Germany, France, Finland, Spain and Italy among others. Overall, more than 10% of airBaltic Pilot Academy students are female. As for now, 95 students, after graduating, have joined airBaltic.
Since October 2023, airBaltic Pilot Academy has improved the payment structure for its commercial pilot study program. As of now, after successfully passing the company’s assessment, airBaltic will loan most of the study fee.
Students of the airBaltic Pilot Academy will now have to cover the costs of ATPL theory studies and 45 flight hours, costing EUR 15 000. After passing airBaltic pilot assessment and becoming an employee of the company, the airline will provide financing (loan) for the rest of the studies.
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 2 400 employees. The airBaltic fleet consists of 44 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.
