The Lufthansa Group intends to acquire a 10% stake in the Latvian airline Air Baltic. This is reported by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, citing anonymous sources. The investment is part of a broader consolidation movement in the European aviation industry.
Air Baltic operates a fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft and specializes primarily in short- and medium-haul flights. The Latvian airline acts as a de facto flag carrier for the Baltic states from its headquarters in Riga. While Air Baltic has not been considered a strategically important market for Lufthansa in the past, the planned investment could represent a new direction in Lufthansa's European expansion strategy.
The Lufthansa Group is currently complemented by numerous subsidiaries such as Austrian Airlines and SWISS and is in the final stages of the takeover of the Italian airline ITA Airways. The intended investment in Air Baltic would expand the existing wet lease agreements between the two companies and support service in Lufthansa's European hubs, including Frankfurt and Vienna.
In recent months, Lufthansa has already shown interest in other European airlines, including TAP Air Portugal and Air Europa. However, the plans to invest in Air Baltic have not yet been officially confirmed. When asked about the speculation, both Air Baltic and Lufthansa refused to comment.
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