The airline Air Baltic is putting into service another Airbus A220-300, which has a special livery in the national colors of Latvia. The machine was unveiled at the Airbus Canada factory these days.

According to a statement from Latvia's state airline, the special livery of the Airbus A220-300 number 40 that went to Air Baltic is also intended to symbolize the long-standing cooperation between Canada and the airline's home country.

Air Baltic CEO Martin Gauss explains: "More than six years ago, Air Baltic became the world's first operator of the A220-300. Over the years this type of aircraft has become the backbone of our operations and we continue to be a proud ambassador of this aircraft. During these years a great cooperation and friendship has developed between us as the national airline of Latvia and our partners in Canada and that is why we are happy to be here today celebrating this aircraft and our work together. We are proud and honored to have this aircraft join our growing fleet of A220-300s."

A few years ago, Air Baltic was the world's first operator of the Airbus A220-300 aircraft type, which was then known as the Bombardier CS300. In the meantime, the program has been taken over by the European manufacturer and operates as Airbus Canada or the A220 series. In the meantime, a lot has happened with the former first customer, because now only this type of machine is operated. The Boeing 737-300/500 and de Havilland Dash 8-400 previously used have since left the fleet.

The fortieth A2023-220 is expected to go into service with Air Baltic at the beginning of April 300. To mark the occasion, the carrier is planning a special event in the Latvian capital. The affected jet currently has a Canadian interim registration, but is expected to fly as YL-ABN in the future. This is the second machine to advertise Latvia with a special flag livery.

“The unveiling of Air Baltic's 40th A220-300, which will fly proudly in the colors of the Latvian flag, is an important moment for all of us at Airbus Canada. This aircraft symbolizes the long-standing cooperation and continued partnership with Air Baltic on our common journey to offer passengers the most sustainable and comfortable flight experience possible. The A220 has logged more than 1 million flight hours and has carried more than 70 million passengers to date,” said Rob Dewar, Senior Vice President, Airbus Canada.