Air Baltic

airBaltic and the rule that surprises everyone: distance isn’t destiny

airBaltic is the Baltic region’s connector — a Latvian airline flying an unusual all-Airbus A220 fleet (the world’s largest, and the only major single-type A220 operator) from Riga, with bases in Tallinn and Vilnius. It’s short and medium-haul: no long-haul widebodies, no intercontinental network. And that shapes your compensation in a way that catches almost everyone out.

Most passengers assume the longest flight pays the most. With airBaltic, it often doesn’t. EU 261 only pays the top €600 band when a flight is over 3,500 km and has at least one end outside the EU. airBaltic’s longest routes — to the Canary Islands — are over 3,500 km, but Tenerife and Gran Canaria are Spanish, so both ends are inside the EU, and the intra-EU €400 cap holds. Meanwhile its one genuinely non-EU long route, Riga → Dubai, is shorter but pays €600. Distance isn’t destiny — the destination’s flag is. Try it:

The bands, in full

EU 261 sets the amount by great-circle distance and whether the flight crosses the EU border:

That middle row is the one that bites airBaltic passengers: any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km is €400, with no upper distance limit inside the EU. So Riga–Tenerife at 4,500 km is still €400. Only Riga–Dubai escapes the cap. Here are the everyday routes — note how Riga–London and Riga–Paris tip just over the 1,500 km line into €400:

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within airBaltic’s control and you’re owed €250 or €400 (or €600 to Dubai). Measured at arrival, not departure.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless you got 14+ days’ notice or it was extraordinary — the compensation on top.
• Denied boarding. Bumped from an oversold flight? Compensation immediately, plus rerouting or a refund.
• Connections. Miss an onward flight on a single airBaltic booking and the claim is judged to your final destination. How missed connections work →

Real example. Riga → Tenerife is delayed 4 hours by a technical fault. Over 3,500 km — but both ends are in the EU, so it’s the €400 cap, not €600. Still €400 per passenger; a family of four is owed €1,600. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. Riga → London is cancelled the day before, rebooked next morning. At ~1,697 km it’s just into the €400 band, short notice, not extraordinary → €400 per passenger plus a hotel and meals. Check a cancelled flight →

The wet-lease wrinkle — whose claim is it?

In summer, airBaltic leases out aircraft and crew to Lufthansa Group airlines under ACMI (“wet-lease”) deals — up to around 21 A220s flying for Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings at peak. So you might board an airBaltic-painted A220 on a flight sold as Lufthansa or SWISS.

EU 261 makes the operating carrier responsible — and for these wet-leases, the airline whose flight number you flew handles the claim. The practical rule for you is simple: claim from the airline on your ticket. It cannot wave you away by pointing at the airBaltic logo on the tail.

How to claim from airBaltic yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, airBaltic’s stated reason, and any receipts.
2. Confirm it qualifies — you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding) and the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
3. Work out the amount — €250 under 1,500 km; €400 for anything longer inside the EU (including the Canary Islands, despite the distance); €600 only for Riga–Dubai.
4. Submit airBaltic’s claim form. Start at airBaltic’s EU 261 page and claim form, stating clearly that you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay. airBaltic has 30 days to respond.
5. Escalate if refused. For a Riga departure, escalate to Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC); for another EU departure, that country’s enforcement body — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real airBaltic scenarios

• The Canary Islands cap. Riga → Tenerife 4 hours late → €400, not €600, despite being over 3,500 km — both ends are in the EU.
• The one €600 route. Riga → Dubai cancelled with a day’s notice → €600 per passenger, plus care.
• The “short hop” surprise. Riga → London cancelled → €400, because it’s just over 1,500 km.
• Wet-lease confusion. You fly an airBaltic A220 on a Lufthansa flight number, delayed 3 hours → claim from Lufthansa, the carrier on your ticket.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

airBaltic at a glance

Founded in 1995 and majority-owned by the Latvian state (with Lufthansa taking a 10% stake in 2025), airBaltic is led by CEO Erno Hildén, appointed in December 2025 after the long tenure of Martin Gauss. Its all-A220 fleet flies a short and medium-haul network, which is exactly why its compensation lives in the €250 and €400 bands — with Dubai as the lone exception.

Why hand your airBaltic claim to Refundio

airBaltic claims hinge on details airlines are happy to exploit — the intra-EU €400 cap that makes a long Canary Islands flight pay less than you’d expect, the €250/€400 line that lands right on a Riga–London hop, and wet-lease flights where two airlines might point at each other. Refundio works out the correct band, buys your claim and pays you upfront, then takes airBaltic on itself and escalates to PTAC if needed. No win, no fee.

Check your airBaltic claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

My airBaltic flight to Tenerife was over 3,500 km and badly delayed. Do I get €600?

No — €400. The €600 band needs over 3,500 km and one end outside the EU. Tenerife is Spanish, so both ends are in the EU and the intra-EU €400 cap holds regardless of distance.

Is there any airBaltic route that pays €600?

In practice one: Riga–Dubai (~4,300 km, Dubai outside the EU). Everything else is €250 or €400.

How much for a Riga to London or Riga to Paris flight?

€400 — both are just over 1,500 km (~1,700 km), which tips them out of the €250 band. Anything under 1,500 km, like Riga–Berlin or Riga–Munich, is €250.

I flew an airBaltic plane but the ticket was a Lufthansa flight number. Who do I claim from?

The carrier on your ticket. airBaltic wet-leases aircraft and crew to Lufthansa Group in summer; EU 261 makes the operating carrier responsible, and that’s the airline whose flight number you flew. It can’t deflect by pointing at the airBaltic plane.

How do I claim compensation from airBaltic?

Use airBaltic’s online EU 261 claim form, stating you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with your flight details and the arrival delay. airBaltic has 30 days to respond. If refused, escalate to Latvia’s PTAC or your departure country’s body — or hand it to Refundio.

How long do I have to claim from airBaltic?

For Latvian departures, generally around two years, depending on the country whose courts apply. Many older flights are still claimable, so it’s worth checking.