Riga International Airport (IATA: RIX, ICAO: EVRA) was built in 1973 as an alternative to Spilve Airport, which had become outdated. It is in Mrupe municipality,^[2] 5.4 NM (10.0 km; 6.2 mi) west^[1] of Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is the largest airport in the Baltic states and is directly connected to over 80 destinations in 30 countries. Renovation and modernization of the airport was completed in 2001, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the founding of the city. The airport is a state-owned joint-stock company, with the owner of all shares being the government of Latvia. The holder of the state capital share is Latvia's Ministry of Transport. Riga International Airport is a hub for airBaltic, SmartLynx Airlines, RAF-Avia, Vip Avia and Inversija airlines.

In 2006, the new north terminal extension was opened. The airport has three terminals: A & C for non-Schengen, and B for Schengen departures. Arrivals 1, in terminal A, handles the Schengen arrivals, while Arrivals 2, in terminal C, handles the non-Schengen arrivals.^[3] Also, a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility was opened in the autumn of 2006, to be run as a joint venture between two local companies - Concors and SR-Technik.

The Latvian government also plans to build another terminal capable of handling 20 million passengers a year. The first part of this project began in 2008. The airport also plans to build new hotels, a business park, a second pier, new parking, a second runway, a new control tower, a new high-speed tram link or railway to the city centre, and a new check-in hall, all by 2011. The airport is currently soliciting bids for airport expansion that encompasses, as the first stage, a construction of a new (fourth) terminal with 23 gates facing north, and in the second stage, seamlessly joining the current airport terminals with the new terminal in a unified architectural entity.^[4]

As the Latvian government may be backing out of the state financed plan to build the 20 million passenger capable terminal, airBaltic is now in the planning stage to, by 2014, build a second terminal, capable of servicing 40 planes and 5000 passengers per hour, that is equivalent to approximately 7.5 million passengers per year, for its own exclusive use, located right next to the current terminal, while leaving the current terminal (planned capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year, but easily capable of handling twice more at good service levels) for all other airlines to use. There will be also an additional entry/exit built to/from the runway, in order to minimize delays and maximize the airport capacity, as it is expected to hit over 10 million/year passengers combined handling by 2014.^[5] The airport has ILS CAT I.

The magazine GatewayRiga is available for visitors and passengers travelling through Riga airport. It has information on new airlines serving Riga, new destinations and routes, and other information about the airport itself and surrounding facilities. It is published three times per year by SIA Check-In Media.

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled airlines

The following airlines have scheduled services to Riga International Airport (as of November 2011):

Charter airlines

In addition, the following airlines also have seasonal charter operations as of December 2010:

Cargo airlines

• DHL Express
• Inversija
• RAF-Avia
• Sprintair
• TNT NV
• Transavibaltika
• UPS

Other facilities

AirBaltic has its head office on the property of Riga Airport.^[2] The Latvian Civil Aviation Agency has its head office at Riga Airport.^[7]

Traffic statistics

Riga International Airport is one of three notable airports in Latvia. The other two are Liepja International Airport and Ventspils Airport. Riga International Airport's biggest air carrier is airBaltic. In 2011, the airport served 5,106,893 passengers, a 9% increase over 2010.

Ground transport

• Bus
  • Bus route #22, operated by Rgas Satiksme, runs between Riga city centre and the airport.
  • airBaltic in cooperation with Reval Hotel Latvia offers a shuttle bus service Airport Express. The bus operates between Riga airport and the Reval Hotel Latvia, (in the city centre).
  • There are international bus connections from the airport to cities in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Additional information on bus routes and schedules may be found at the airport information centre.
  • Partybuses can be good transport for groups, which in Latvia are for entertainment.
• Parking
  • The airport also has 3 car parks, with ~1500 parking spaces, offering short- and long-term parking.
• Taxi
  • Three main taxi companies operate from Riga Airport.
• Motorway
  • The airport and European route E22 are connected by highway P133.

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Europe
• List of largest airports in the Baltic states
• List of airports in Latvia
• Transportation in Latvia
• Rgas Satiksme (Riga Public Transport)

References

External links

• Official website
  • Magazine GatewayRiga
• RIX Marks the Spot for Expansion
  • Riga International Airport Schedule
• Current weather for EVRA at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for RIX at Aviation Safety Network