RIGA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian aviation sector saw record-fast growth in 2019, with airports and carriers alike handling more passengers than a year before, according to data released on Wednesday by the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency (CAA).
CAA spokesman Aivis Vincevs said that the two largest airlines registered in Latvia -- airBaltic and SmartLynx Airlines -- had a particularly successful year. The two companies together carried over 8.6 million air passengers in 2019, a year-on-year rise of more than 20 percent.
While Latvia's national carrier airBaltic increased passenger numbers by 22 percent year-on-year to 5.05 million people in 2019, SmartLynx Airlines carried 3.6 million passengers in 2019, around 20 percent more than a year before.
The total number of flights operated by the two Latvian airlines also increased last year. The number of airBaltic flights grew to 62,748 in 2019 from 56,261 in 2018, and the number of SmartLynx Airlines flights rose to 21,487 last year from 20,524 flights in 2018.
Latvia's two international airports -- Riga and Liepaja -- reported a 10.57 percent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers for 2019. The total number of people served at the two airports grew to 7.812 million in 2019 from 7.065 million in 2018, according to CAA statistics.
Riga International Airport, the largest air traffic hub in the Baltics, reported a 10 percent increase in passenger numbers for 2019 as the airport handled 7.798 million people last year compared to 7.056 million in 2018.
CAA expects the growth of the Latvian aviation sector to continue this year, although at a somewhat slower pace due to rising fuel costs and ticket prices. Enditem
