Riga Airport has recently disclosed several statistics with respect to the passengers that passed through its gates in the previous year.
Consequently, the relevant authorities revealed that no less than 6.3 million passengers made their way through the Riga Airport (RIX) in Latvia in the previous year.
The total figure represented a surge of 23% in the number of passengers welcomed at the airport as compared to the year before.
Traffic
Where direct passenger traffic is concerned, Riga Airport managed to reach the levels recorded back in 2019.
In line with this, some of the months of 2023 showed figures exceeding the numbers recorded before the pandemic.
In addition, in the same time period, the data revealed that a total of 20 airlines were operating at this airport in Latvia. They handled a total of 61,000 flights in 12 months.
According to a statement released by the authorities, the airport took the lead in the Baltic States and surrounding areas.
As a result, it managed to serve a total of 42% of the Baltic air traffic travelers and 40% of the total number of flights.
The data shared by RIX went on to show that the tally of direct passengers went up by 23% in comparison to the year before. This surpassed the figure of 5.2 million.
The RIX went on to notice that the transit of visitors has become stable over time, with 1.4 million people using the airport as a hub to take connecting flights.
This figure stood at 22% of the total number of passengers taking connecting flights from the Riga Airport in Latvia.
Destinations
The surge recorded in the transit and transfer passenger traffic in the country is primarily attributed to the wide variety of destinations that are accessible through the Riga Airport.
On this note, the Chairperson of the Board at Riga Airport, Laila Odina, stated that the European aviation industry as a whole is successfully climbing back up.
Consequently, she pointed out that it has more or less managed to reach the levels recorded before the pandemic.
On the topic of destinations, she revealed that the largest chunk of traffic traveling from Riga lands at leisure locations.
Moreover, the Chairperson shared that data has revealed that the highest demand at the moment is for short to medium-haul flights, which also include short trips for vacations and the holiday season.
Revenue
In line with the overall prosperity of the aviation industry and the RIX, the airport showed a significant rise in revenues.
The unaudited financial statements issued by the Riga Airport for the first three quarters of the previous year showed a net turnover of more than €54 million.
This figure is reportedly a third greater than what was recorded in the same time period a year before.
Where the profit of the company is concerned, the RIX reported earnings of no less than €5.3 million.
In the first three quarters of 2023, the airport also welcomed more than five million travelers and successfully handled more than 46,000 flights.
