airBaltic to cut around 100 pilots and 200 cabin staff in latest savings drive

airBaltic plans to cut around 100 pilot and 200 cabin crew staff, with the Latvian Aviation Union (LAU) claiming the process will begin this weekend.

On October 29, 2026, Latvian Aviation Union issued a statement indicating that from October 31, 2026, around 300 airBaltic staff members will “start learning whether they keep their jobs”.

This follows an airBaltic announcement on October 5, 2026, that between 500 and 700 staff members could lose their jobs as part of workforce adjustments to ensure the airline’s future.

In response to its recent financial woes, airBaltic has already filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US and confirmed plans to reduce its all-Airbus A220-300 fleet from 54 aircraft to 36 by the end of 2026 before gradually returning to around 40 by 2031.

airBaltic

The union claims that airBaltic’s redundancy decision is being made based on “criteria the unions have not received in writing”.

Union representatives are asking the airline to “pause the crew assessment and meet us at the table”.

“The Latvian Aviation Union invites airBaltic management, Erno Hildén and Katya Leidmane, to meet this week and to hold back all individual notifications until we have reviewed the criteria and methodology together,” the union wrote.

An airBaltic spokesperson confirmed to AeroTime that approximately 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew members face redundancy, although the numbers are not final and may change following completion of the employee evaluation process.

‘From Saturday, over 300 airBaltic pilots and cabin crew will start learning whether they keep their jobs’

According to Latvian Aviation Union, an email was sent to staff from airBaltic explaining the process on October 27, 2026.

“From Saturday, over 300 airBaltic pilots and cabin crew will start learning whether they keep their jobs. They are being ranked on criteria the unions have not received in writing, using promotion lists that airBaltic itself said on 3 September contain non-objective elements,” the union wrote.

Among its other claims the union said “100% of cabin crew cuts fall on the Riga base” in Latvia while Tallinn, Estonia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, will remain “untouched”.

Latvian Aviation Union also claims airBaltic’s Vice President of Human Resources, Katya Leidmane, “repeatedly refused to provide in writing the assessment criteria”.

“How can you say that criteria have been agreed with LAU if we cannot receive them from you? Only on 27-28 October we received email with some description of methodology that leaves many questions unanswered! Methodology you already apply WITHOUT discussing it,” the union wrote.

The union statement also claims that up to 30 cabin crew jobs on the Belgrade operation have been “filled through a Serbian temporary work agency, while permanent airBaltic crew are dismissed”.

“Consultations cannot be closed while basic questions remain open. Let’s meet and agree on an objective way forward, for the crew and for an airline Latvian state and the public have invested in,” Latvian Aviation Union concluded in its statement.

airBaltic responds to union’s message

airBaltic told AeroTime that the redundancies are “linked to the flight volume and route network planned for next year” and the reduction in the number of pilots will affect all three of its bases

The airline added that there were more staff at the Riga base than were needed and where possible staff will be offered positioned at the other two bases where it is understaffed.

“Regarding the criteria for staff selection, we emphasize that these were determined following several rounds of consultations with trade unions, during which all involved parties submitted their proposals,” said Edvards Dālderis, airBaltic’s International Communication Representative. “Although airBaltic initially proposed different criteria, it agreed to a compromise solution after considering the arguments presented by the trade unions: to utilize the existing evaluation systems for pilots and cabin crew that have already been regularly applied within the company.”

He continued: “This approach was proposed by two other trade unions. The selected criteria take into account length of service – the importance of which was specifically emphasized by the Latvian Aviation Trade Union – as well as professional qualifications and other factors related to the performance of job duties.”

Dālderis said that Latvian Aviation Union’s concerns regarding certain evaluation criteria were also “heard and assessed”.

“Although the trade unions hold differing views on the most appropriate selection procedure, this does not mean that these issues were not discussed or that the arguments presented were not taken into account,” Dālderis explained. “The chosen solution represents a compromise between the various proposals and the operational needs of the company.”

He added: “airBaltic is aware of the impact this process has on its employees and is committed to carrying it out in a manner that is as transparent and consistent as possible, while treating everyone involved with respect.”

RELATED airBaltic staff brace for hundreds of job cuts across Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn

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