Appearing on the in-depth interview show 'Viens pret vienu' ('One on One') was Martin Gauss, chairman and chief executive officer of national airline airBaltic. The interview was conducted with questions in Latvian and replies in English (following a few introductory comments in Latvian by host Gundars Rēders).
German citizen Martin Gauss has led the company since 2011, inheriting a chaotic situation at the company as a legacy from his predecessor. But despite being credited with turning the company around, Gauss' own tenure has not been without controversy.
He is regularly criticised for a lack of Latvian language skills, while others are unhappy about the high level of state financial support the company has enjoyed – both issues which are covered in the lengthy interview above.
"I do not understand the public, why they are so negative about an iconic airline and an iconic brand in the Baltic states which everybody is proud of," said Gauss at one point.
Looking to the future, airBaltic has repeatedly stated its intention to conduct an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and have its shares listed, potentially with the backing of an as-yet unconfirmed "strategic investor" rumored to be Lufthansa. The interview also covers this in some detail, with Gauss saying the purpose of an IPO would be to raise equity of 300 million euros.
However, he backed away from assigning a specific timeframe to an IPO, saying it would take place "when the market conditions are right". This appeared to walk back previous statements by the Latvian government that it would likely take place before the year's end.
"The IPO can happen [at the earliest] in the second half of 2024... or in [20]25 or in [20]26 and we have never changed these statements – I have not," said Gauss.
