airBaltic plans to cut around 100 pilots and around 200 cabin crew members in its latest savings drive, the airline has confirmed to AeroTime. The numbers are not yet final and may change once staff assessments are complete. The Latvian Aviation Union (LAU) said on October 29 that around 300 airBaltic employees will start learning whether they will keep their jobs from October 31.
The announcement follows airBaltic's October 5 announcement that 500 to 700 employees could lose their jobs in a wider workforce adjustment aimed at securing the airline's future. The October 29 report sets out the crew-specific detail and timetable within that wider adjustment, rather than an additional headcount on top of it. LAU has called for the crew assessment to be paused and for talks on the selection criteria and method, saying the criteria have not been provided to the union in writing and that individual notices should be held until the criteria and method have been jointly reviewed.
airBaltic said the cuts are linked to the flight volume and route network planned for next year. Pilot reductions will affect all three of its bases, while the airline said Riga has more staff than needed and that, where possible, staff will be offered positions at the other two bases, which are short-staffed. On selection, airBaltic said the criteria were decided after several rounds of consultation with unions, as a compromise using the company's existing assessment system for pilots and cabin crew, taking into account seniority and professional qualifications among other job-related factors. The airline's all-Airbus A220-300 fleet is set to fall from 54 aircraft to 36 by the end of 2026, before gradually recovering to around 40 by about 2031.