Until now, airBaltic has addressed its passengers individually and offered alternative flight options on other dates or with other airlines, even though many airlines are canceling scheduled flights, thus reducing the possibility of leaving the country quickly.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has aksed airBaltic to operate a special flight on the route Rīga - Tel Aviv - Rīga, which would provide the opportunity to return home to those Latvian nationals who want to leave Israel. The special flight is planned to be operated on October 16.
airBaltic said it is "planning to operate a special flight with 148 seats from Riga to Tel Aviv and back on October 16, 2023."
According to the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Latvia in Israel, there are currently approximately 143 Latvian nationals in Israel who are looking for opportunities to leave the country. However, since the number of Latvian nationals may not be complete, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites Latvian nationals who wish to return to Latvia from Israel to contact the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 24-hour phone number +371 26 33 77 11 or the e-mail address palidziba @mfa.gov.lv.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš said: "The flight is planned for October 16 – next Monday. airBaltic will let you know how you can apply to buy tickets. We understand from our representative office, that people are interested. It is possible that citizens of the neighboring country Estonia could also be interested. My prediction is that there will be one such flight, but if there is still demand, then there will be more as needed."
