The head of the communication department of the airport, Laura Kulakova, told Latvian Radio that such an area would now be an opportunity to organize helicopter movements in parallel with the rest of the air traffic, including cargo and passenger aircraft traffic.
Heliport and the related new flight procedures represent a long-term contribution to the airport infrastructure that will provide better quality services, including state and civil protection, and disaster medicine.
The costs of setting up the heliport were a total of €3.2 million; most of the funds came from European Union funds, the airport spokeswoman Kulakova said. It was possible to land a helicopter at the airport already, but because of the taxiway, it took too long, so it was decided in favor of the heliport.
A National Armed Forces helicopter landed in the area as the first aircraft. This was greeted by guests invited to the opening ceremony.
