Riga Technical University
Faculty of Engineering Economics
Riga international airport
Riga 2004
| Contents |
| 1 | 1 291 | 1 340 | 1 299 | -3.1 |
| 2 | 1 349 | 1 338 | 1 290 | -3.6 |
| 3 | 1 516 | 1 545 | 1 572 | 1.7 |
| 4 | 1 443 | 1 493 | 1 699 | 13.8 |
| 5 | 1 744 | 1 728 | 1 680 | -2.8 |
| 6 | 1 600 | 1 783 | 1 654 | -7.2 |
| 7 | 1 464 | 1 622 | 1 694 | 4.4 |
| 8 | 1 650 | 1 839 | 1 747 | -5.0 |
| 9 | 1 602 | 1 694 | 1 623 | -4.2 |
| 10 | 1 645 | 1 682 | 1 653 | -1.7 |
| 11 | 1 479 | 1 540 | 1 430 | -7.1 |
| 12 | 1 287 | 1 306 | 1 335 | 2.2 |
| Total: | 18 070 | 18 910 | 18 676 | -1.2 |
Table 1. Aircraft movements
Passenger figures exceed 600 000, ie by 1.7% more than in 2001 forthe second consecutive year. Altogether, the airport handled 18 676 flightsfalling behind the previous report year by 1.2% due to "Austrian Airlines",
"Estonian Air" and the Swedish airline "Trygg-Flyg" deceasing flights to
Riga.
For the third year air cargo transportation has grown considerablywith turnover exceeding 6 000 tons for the first time, ie by 26.3% overthe previous year. Cargo transportation import (78.2%) still significantlyexceeds export (21.8 %).
To achieve these results the airport staff had to be more purposeful,determined and competent than in the previous report period.
12 carriers including "Air Baltic", "Aeroflot", "Austrian Airlines",
"Belavia", "British Airways", "? SA", "Estonian Air", "Finnair", "Latpass
Airlines "," LOT "," Lufthansa "and" Trygg-Flyg "provided scheduled passengerflights from "Riga" airport in 2002.
Scheduled direct flights linked Riga with 16 European cities including
Berlin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Jonkoping, Kiev, Copenhagen, London, Moscow,
Minsk, Prague, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Vilnius and Vienna.
| Month | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002/2001 (%) |
| 1 | 302 | 346 | 502 | 45.1 |
| 2 | 323 | 371 | 473 | 27.5 |
| 3 | 400 | 449 | 559 | 24.5 |
| 4 | 346 | 421 | 561 | 33.3 |
| 5 | 359 | 485 | 379 | -21.9 |
| 6 | 350 | 446 | 428 | -4.0 |
| 7 | 346 | 429 | 354 | -17.5 |
| 8 | 424 | 438 | 403 | -8.0 |
| 9 | 430 | 395 | 546 | 38.2 |
| 10 | 507 | 451 | 685 | 51.9 |
| 11 | 386 | 529 | 573 | 8.3 |
| 12 | 485 | 449 | 1 117 | 148.8 |
| Total | 4 658 | 5 209 | 6 580 | 26.3 |
Table 2. Cargo transportation (t)
Major passenger flows and routes of scheduled flights.
In 2002 the flight map changed slightly with "Air Baltic" exploringAdditionally, "Air Baltic" resumed flights to Moscow, Warsaw and Prague,which had been suspended as unprofitable the previous years. Thus, the
Latvian aviation market was considerably divided. "Air Baltic" improved itsposition, but "Austrian Airlines" discontinued flights from Vienna to Rigadue to the imposed flight reduction. In comparison with the last year, thedynamics of passenger growth for the above destinations droppedconsiderably by 885 on the Warsaw route, 22.8% on the Vienna route and
17.3% on the Moscow route.
| Month | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002/2001 (%) |
| 1 | 35 235 | 38 681 | 38 377 | -0.8 |
| 2 | 35 637 | 38 243 | 37 477 | -2.0 |
| 3 | 45 454 | 46 510 | 45 393 | -2.4 |
| 4 | 45 087 | 48 154 | 48 420 | 0.6 |
| 5 | 54 308 | 57 248 | 55 802 | -2.5 |
| 6 | 56 017 | 68 036 | 63 980 | -6.0 |
| 7 | 53 123 | 61 247 | 62 114 | 1.4 |
| 8 | 56 140 | 67 041 | 62 485 | -6.8 |
| 9 | 55 810 | 60 879 | 63 294 | 4.0 |
| 10 | 51 645 | 51 872 | 61 270 | 18.1 |
| 11 | 44 804 | 43 924 | 49 357 | 12.4 |
| 12 | 41 096 | 40 812 | 45 353 | 11.1 |
| Total | 574 356 | 622 647 | 633 322 | 1.7 |
Table 3. Passenger movements
In 2002 73 passengers out of every 100 handled in Riga (includingtransit) travelled to or from Western Europe.to Western Europe were responsible for the growth of passengers figures
(almost 11 000). Berlin, with the highest passengers growth rate ranksfirst among the cities of Western Europe (it should be mentioned, however,that in 2001 there were no scheduled flights on this route); followed by
London with 6.9% and Frankfurt with 6.4%. However, there is an exception.
For the first time passengers figures on the Helsinki route have dropped byalmost 3 000 or 3.9% in comparison with the last year. Nevertheless,
Helsinki ranks 2 nd on the list of the most popular destinations. For thesecond successive year passenger figures on the Stockholm route havedropped sharply by almost 14 000 or 21%. Accordingly, a Stockholm rank 6thinstead of the previous 3rd, but the Copenhagen has constantly been numberone since 1996, despite a passenger growth rate, which has slowed down onthe route.
In 2002 passenger figures for Eastern and Central Europe have grownslightly. Some destinations have faced radical changes. As in previousyears, passengers figures decreased by 17.3% on the Moscow route. For thesecond year after resuming scheduled flights on the Tallinn route passengerfigures went down by 11.4%. Passengers figures on the Prague routeincreased significantly by 27.7% for the second year. It should beunderlined that the Prague route has the highest absolute growth rate, ieby 13 000 passengers more and even surpasses the Copenhagen route.
Accordingly, Prague shows a very convincing growth and ranks 3rd instead ofbeing 6th in 2001 on the list of the most popular destinations. The successallowed "? SA" to pull ahead of such major airlines as "British Airways",
"Lufthansa" and "Finnair". A couple of years ago such a forecast would haveseemed unbelievable. "? SA" passengers figures have almost tripled comparedwith 1999 and almost doubled compared with 2000.
Only three of the carriers providing scheduled flights to Riga duringthe report year have carried fewer passengers than in 2001, ie "Aeroflot"with 29.6%, "Finnair" with 16.3% and "LOT" with 2.7%. These airlines havereduced flight frequency by 35.8%, 2.4% and 1.7% respectively. "Air Baltic"has carried the majority of passengers to and from Riga, ie 43% of thetotal number of passengers. "? SA" with 10% of passengers handled at "Riga"airport ranks 2nd. As in 2001, "British Airways" with 9% ranks 3rd,
"Lufthansa" with 8% ranks 4th, "Finnair" with 8% is 5th, but "Latcharter"with 7% is 6th.
| City | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002/2001 (%) |
| Copenhagen | 137 895 | 152 109 | 152 109 | 3.0 |
| Helsinki | 65 670 | 71 712 | 71 712 | -3.9 |
| Prague | 34 741 | 50 084 | 50 084 | 27.7 |
| Frankfurt | 51 669 | 54 715 | 54 715 | 6.4 |
| London | 50 115 | 53 274 | 53 274 | 6.9 |
| Stockholm | 71 145 | 65 094 | 65 094 | -21.0 |
| Moscow | 44 194 | 41 810 | 41 810 | -17.3 |
| Warsaw | 10 349 | 19 687 | 19 687 | 1.7 |
| Vienna | 20 404 | 20 567 | 20 567 | -22.8 |
| Kiev | 11 087 | 11 231 | 11 231 | 8.2 |
| Tallinn | 14 066 | 11 086 | 11 086 | -11.4 |
| Mugla | 2 778 | 3 186 | 3 186 | 2.3x |
| Berlin | | 391 | 391 | 18.0x |
| Vilnius | 9 821 | 6 680 | 6 680 | -3.1 |
| Barcelona | 3 514 | 2 497 | 2 497 | 1.6x |
| Heraklion | 2 232 | 1 115 | 1 115 | -3.1 |
| Others | 36 374 | 57 409 | 56 294 | |
| Total | 574 356 | 622 647 | 622 647 | 1.7 |
Table 4. Passenger movements per city
Air cargo
In 2002 the handled cargo volume has increased by more than 1 300 tonswhen compared to the previous year. Riga International Airport has neverfaced such an important increase in cargo volume before.
Of all the carries providing scheduled flights, "? SA" achieved thehighest growth of both cargo volume and passengers figures; while
"Aeroflot" had the highest rate of cargo volume. Contrary to passengerfigures, cargo volume dropped by 20.9% for "British Airways" and by 10.5%for "Lufthansa" for the second year. Cargo volume also slightly decreasedalso for "Finnair". Nevertheless, "Finnair" is the major air cargo carrierin Riga with 20% of the total cargo volume handled at the airport ((25% in
in 2002); "? SA" with 7% (6% in 2001); "Aeroflot" with 6% (5% in 2001);
"Lufthansa" with 5% (7% in 2001); and "British Airways" with 2% in 2001).
| Airline | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2002/2001 (%) |
| Finnair | 934 | 1 323 | 1 308 | -1.1 |
| Air Baltic | 1 041 | 1 099 | 1 045 | -4.9 |
| SAS | 845 | 952 | 971 | 2.0 |
|? SA | 249 | 305 | 429 | 40.7 |
| Aeroflot | 209 | 277 | 394 | 42.2 |
| Lufthansa | 453 | 389 | 348 | -10.5 |
| British Airways | 304 | 191 | 151 | -20.9 |
| Concors | | 137 | 145 | 5.6 |
| Air Polonia | | 7 | 117 | 16.7x |
| LOT | 112 | 112 | 115 | 2.7 |
| Austrian Airlines | 36 | 36 | 23 | -36.0 |
| White Eagle | 190 | 101 | | |
| Aviation | | | | |
| Others | 210 | 280 | 1 534 | |
| Total | 4 658 | 5 209 | 6 580 | 26.3 |
Table 5. Cargo transportation (t)
Modernization and extension of the airport
During the report year attention was paid to the reinforcement andtechnical upgrading of aviation security measures. "Riga" Airportinvestment in aviation security has always been balanced. In view of the
11th September terrorist attacks the airport carried out unscheduledactivities to reinforce security, transferring a major part of theinvestment initially planned for infrastructure development to security.
In the middle of 2002 cargo X-ray equipment was obtained andinstalled. Latvia is a member of European Aviation Conference (ECAC), whichset 1 January 2003 the deadline for the introduction of the 100% screeningof checked baggage at international airports. If this requirement had notbeen met, the aircraft departing from Riga would have faced long handlingdelays at other European airports; while all the baggage arriving from
"Riga" airport would have been subject to time-consuming security controls.
At the end of 2002 "Riga" airport launched automatic baggage screeningto provide maximum safety and convenience for passengers. The producer ofthe equipment is the well-known company 'Heimann ". The system facilitatesthree-level baggage control. The automatic baggage screening equipment hasthe capacity to process 1 200 baggage units per hour. Accordingly, twosystems facilitate security control of 2 400 baggage units per hour. Theinstalled equipment ensures security control fully compliant with the EUrequirements in the field of aviation security. In addition to baggagecontrol equipment, a computer room was arranged and 47 airport employeeswere trained. Altogether, security equipment and the reconstruction ofbaggage conveyors cost the airport 1.6 million EUR.
To reinforce security in the major areas and facilities at theairport, the aircraft handling area and the technical area of the airfieldwas fenced off and a checkpoint was arranged.
During the report year the 2nd and 3rd floor reconstruction of thepassenger terminal continued. Airline agencies moved to comfortable officesand after the reconstruction the 3rd level of passenger terminal wasopened. After many years the restaurant run by the well-known Latviancompany "Lido" has been opened at the airport. The airport guests have anopportunity both to enjoy the "Lido" menu and have a panoramic view overthe airfield, which was impossible for a long time due to thereconstruction. The terminal has also become friendlier to passengers withspecial needs, as the lift facilitates access to any level of the terminal.
In the winter season airfield maintenance requires extra effort andcosts. It is extremely important to ensure the airport operationirrespective of the weather and provide all flights according to the flightschedule. Therefore the airport has upgraded transport and emergencysystems by obtaining two multi-functional airfield maintenance vehiclesproduced by the well-known company "Marcel Boschung AG". The vehiclesremove snow from runway, taxiways and apron areas and provide anti-icing ofsurfaces. In the summer season the vehicles are used to collect garbage anddust.
Equipment for the treatment of land amelioration systems, loading anddigging was obtained. An airfield area of 10 ha was cleared of underbrush,thus increasing ground capacity.
"Riga" airports is the second of the European airports havingintroduced the passenger loyalty programme NOVA to the benefit of ourpassengers, despite the fact that it does not bring the airport any extraprofit. However, the programme enables the airport to keep in touch withpassengers regularly and not only while they are travelling.
Financial performance
SJSC Riga International Airport ended the financial year 2002 with
202.4 thousand LVL profit. Aviation services with 6 242 100 LVL or 75%account for the major revenue share of economic activity. Revenue share ofother services increased year on the year and amounted to 2 033 400 LVL in
2002.
Runway and airport infrastructure maintenance, salaries, and creditinterest payments comprise the major expenditure share of economicactivity.
In 2002 the airport continued to invest resources in the developmentof infrastructure and purchasing of runway maintenance equipment. One ofthe main investments was purchasing of a new automatic baggage screening toprovide maximum safety for passengers.
Selected bibliography
1. Wells Alexander "Airport planning and management"/London: McGraw-Hill,
2003
2. Starptautisk? S lidostas "R? Ga" 2002. gada p? rskats/R? ga: RIX, 2003
3. www.riga-airport.com
