LATVIA: Air Baltic Restart Riga To Dublin Flights 31st Of March 2019

Latvian Flag Carrier Air Baltic has announced that it will restart flights from its hub in Riga to Dublin, Ireland.

The inaugural flight will be on the 31st of March 2019, operated four times a week with the airline’s Airbus A220-300. Air Baltic had previously operated flights between these two cites, however, it discounted it in 2012.

Air Baltic was the launch customer for the A220-300 Previously Bombardier CS300 in 2016. The carrier plans to have an all A220 (CS300) fleet by 2025.

Originally founded in 1995, the airline currently flies to over 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius—the carrier’s three bases.

For Summer 2019 season, Air Baltic will base A220s at Tallinn and start flights to Malaga, Brussels, and Copenhagen. In addition to Dublin, the airline will also launch Stuttgart and Lviv from Riga.

The flights will run every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Flight BT661 will depart Riga at 07:30, arriving into Dublin at 08:35 local time. The return flight BT662 will depart Dublin at 09:15 local time, arriving back into Riga at 14:10.

Martin Gauss, CEO of Air Baltic, said that he is glad to offer our guests regular flights to Dublin. This route has a strong demand for years now and we are very happy that we can add Dublin to our expanding route portfolio.

Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison also commented on the route’s announcement. This new service to Riga will further enhance the connectivity between Ireland and Latvia and is good news for passengers as it will offer additional choice and convenience, he said.

airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its hub is at Riga International Airport with further bases at Tallinn Airport and Vilnius Airport.

The airline was established as Air Baltic on 28 August 1995 with the signing of a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and the Latvian state.

Operations started on 1 October 1995 with the arrival of the first Air Baltic aircraft, a Saab 340, at Riga, and that afternoon, the plane made the first passenger flight for Air Baltic.

In 1996, the airline's first Avro RJ70 was delivered; and Air Baltic joined the SAS frequent flier club as a partner. 1997 saw the opening of a cargo department and, in 1998, the airline's first Fokker 50 plane was delivered.

The adopted livery was mainly white, with the name of the airline written in blue on the forward fuselage, the 'B' logo being heavily stylized in blue checks. The checker blue pattern was repeated on the aircraft tailfin.

In 1999, Air Baltic became a joint stock company; it was previously a limited liability company. All of their Saab 340s were replaced by Fokker 50s.

By September, the airline had begun operating under the European Aviation Operating Standards, or JAR ops. Air Baltic welcomed the new millennium by introducing new uniforms and opening a cargo center at Riga's airport.

The first Boeing 737–500 joined the fleet in 2003, and on 1 June 2004, Air Baltic launched services from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, initially to five destinations. In October 2004, Air Baltic was rebranded as AirBaltic.

Their present livery consists of an all-white fuselage and lime tailfin. AirBaltic.com is displayed on the forward upper fuselage, and the word Baltic is repeated in blue on the lower part of the tailfin. In December 2006, the first Boeing 737–300 joined the fleet and was configured with winglets.

In July 2007, AirBaltic introduced an online check-in system. It was the first online check-in system in the Baltic states. In the spring of 2008, two long-haul Boeing 757s joined the existing AirBaltic fleet.

On 10 March 2008, it was announced that in the next three years the airline would acquire new aircraft, experiencing the largest fleet expansion in the company's history. The new additions will be next generation Q400 aircraft.

AirBaltic had strong links with SAS, which owned 47.2% of the airline, and operated frequent flights to SAS hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, and the airline formerly used the SAS EuroBonus frequent flyer programme, but it now has its own frequent flyer programme called PINS.

Some of AirBaltic's products and services are still shared with SAS, including co-ordinated timetabling and shared airport lounges. AirBaltic is not a member of any airline alliance, but does have codeshare agreements in place with several Star Alliance member airlines and others.

AirBaltic had secondary hubs at Vilnius International Airport and Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport. The majority of the routes commenced from Tallinn were cancelled shortly after opening, leading to complaints from the Estonian Consumer Protection Department.

In January 2009, SAS sold its entire stake in the company 47.2% of the airline to Baltijas aviācijas sistēmas Ltd (BAS) for 14 million lats. BAS was wholly owned by Bertolt Flick - President and CEO until December 2010, when 50% of BAS shares were transferred to Taurus Asset Management Fund Limited, registered in the Bahamas.

airBaltic operates direct year-round and seasonal flights from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, mostly to metropolitan and leisure destinations within Europe. Long-haul flights are not operated.

airBaltic has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

- Aegean Airlines

- Aeroflot

- Air France

- Air Malta

- Air Serbia

- Alitalia

- Austrian Airlines

- Azerbaijan Airlines

- Belavia

- British Airways

- Brussels Airlines

- Czech Airlines

- Etihad Airways

- Georgian Airways

- Iberia

- KLM

- LOT Polish Airlines

- TAP Air Portugal

- TAROM

- Ukraine International Airlines

- Uzbekistan Airways

airBaltic fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Airbus A220-300: 14

- Boeing 737-300: 6

- Boeing 737-500: 3

- Bombardier Q400: 12

- Total: 35


Tourism Observer

PORTUGAL: TAP Portugal And airBaltic Sign Codeshare Deal

Riga based carrier airBaltic and TAP Air Portugal have signed a codesharing agreement between the two airlines.

This partnership will enable airBaltic passengers through to TAP’s extensive network of international destinations such as Brazil and Africa with TAP benefiting more on flights to the Baltics, Scandinavia and other areas of Eastern Europe.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic said that TAP Air Portugal is already our 21st codeshare partner, thus we are further extending the impressive portfolio of partner airlines that ensures smooth and seamless travel for airBaltic customers around the world.

The CEO added that airBaltic will sell flights between Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn and TAP Air Portugal domestic network via Lisbon, as well to Lisbon via common gateways, better connecting Baltics to the world.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of TAP, said that this newest partnership with airBaltic will allow TAP Air Portugal customers to take advantage of new direct flights to Latvia and connecting services to the Baltic countries.

Thereby adding convenience and travel options to Northern Europe, in complementarity with TAP direct services to Scandinavia and Finland, he stated.

As part of the agreement, TAP will place its TP flight code on direct flights between Riga and Lisbon that are already operated by airBaltic as well as via common gateways between the Portuguese carrier’s network and Riga.

With TAP operating to 83 destinations across 35 countries, this is a big boost for airBaltic to get their name out further across the international industry.


Tourism Observer

EUROPE: Some Dangerous Cities

Europe expereiences a high level of safety, violence does occur and patterns of where and when it does can appear.

This is measured from a city's its homicide rate, which is defined as the intentional death of a citizen at the hands of another citizen or citizens.

These rates are calculated to be per capita, so although one city may experience a higher number of murders than another, if their population is larger the murder rate will be lower as a result.

Areas such as Central and South America and Africa can see rates reaching 50 murders per 100,000 residents, and the homicide rate of the United States is around 5 per 100,000.

Tallinn, Estonia - 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Tallinn is a city in Estonia, situated on the northern coast of the country. With a relatively small population of 443,894, the city experienced 22 homicides in 2010, bringing its rate to 5.5 per 100,000.

This sits lower than the murder rate of Estonia that was calculated between 1999 and 2001, which was calculated as a high of 9.4 per 100,000 people.

The general trend appears to be that the homicide rate in Tallinn is decreasing, as 40 murders were reported in 2005, standing in contrast to 2010.

However, Tallinn's small population size, relatively large amount of murders per capita, and position on a continent where violent crime is highly uncommon gives it a place at the top of this list.

Glasgow, Scotland - 5.1 homicides per 100,000 people

Glasgow is the largest city of Scotland, located in the United Kingdom.

In 2010, the homicide rate of Glasgow was 5.1 per 100,000 residents, calculated from a total of 30 murders that were experienced in the city that year.

30 is a number that appears to be average for the number of violent deaths in Glasgow every year, a number that may be due to organized gangs and turf wars.

Vilnius, Lithuania - 4.7 homicides per 100,000 people

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, which is located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, Vilnius reported 26 crimes, producing a crime rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.

This number was, however, actually a decrease from the crime rates experience prior to 2010, which reached a high in 2008 when 58 homicides were recorded resulting in a rate of 10.4 per 100,000 residents.

Despite these numbers of homicides that appear relatively high for Europe, visitors are still much more likely to encounter petty crime such as pickpocketing and credit card theft.

Moscow, Russia - 4.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city on the European continent with 12.2 million inhabitants.

It is a major cultural center of Europe and is located on the Moskva River.

In 2010, there were 483 homicides reported in Moscow, although this was a decrease from numbers seen in 2005, 2006 and 2007, where 766, 767, and 629 murders were reported respectively.

This decrease in murders may be a sign that violent crime in Moscow is decreasing, although other crime such as car theft remains a problem in this major city.

Podgorica, Montenegro - 3.5 homicides per 100,000 people

Podgorica is the largest city of Montenegro, as well as serving as the nation's capital. Between 1946 and 1992, when Montenegro was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia), the city was known as Titograd.

In 2010, there were 7 deaths by homicide recorded in Podgorica.

This is a number that seems pretty on-trend for what is reported for Podgorica, although the year 2006 did see an influx of homicides, with 12 in the year bringing the homicide rate of the time up to 6.5 per 100,000 residents.

Belfast, Northern Ireland - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and located in the north of the island of Ireland.

In 2010, Belfast reported a homicide rate of 3.3, which was calculated from nine murders, given Belfast's relatively small population of 286,000.

This crime rate, however, is part of a trend in the lowering of homicides in Northern Ireland.

During the Troubles of the 1970s and 80s, the crime rate of Northern Ireland was closer to 31 per 100,000, which is similar to the homicide rate that could be found in Colombia or South Africa during the early 2010s.

Riga, Latvia - 3.3 homicides per 100,000 people

Riga is the largest city in Latvia, a country located in the Baltic states.

In 2010, there were 23 murders in the city, resulting in a homicide rate of 3.3.

Although the historic city is known to be relatively safe, public parks and the heavily-touristed Old Town are known to be areas where crime could be more likely to occur, although much of this may be petty crime such as pickpocketing.

2010, however, appears to have been slightly lower than what is average for Riga, as the years 2005-2009 each saw over 30 reported homicide incidents.

Kiev, Ukraine - 3.2 homicides per 100,000 people

Kiev is the largest city and capital of the Eastern European country of Ukraine. In 2010, 118 of Kiev's residents were victims of homicide, creating a murder rate of 3.2

This appears to be a number that is a somewhat annual average for Kiev, where murder rates are about 100 per year.

The public transit system, including suburban trains, have been singled out as potential hotbeds for violent crime in Kiev due to their tendency to be overcrowded and require repairs.

Zurich, Switzerland - 3.0 homicides per 100,000 people

Zurich is the largest city in the central European nation of Switzerland.

In 2010, there were 11 homicides reported in the city, which creates a murder rate of 3.0 when the city's low population of less than half a million is taken into consideration.

2010, however, does appear to be somewhat of an anomaly for this Swiss urban area, as both the years 2009 and 2011 saw only 4 and 1 murders, respectively.

Brussels, Belgium - 2.8 homicides per 100,000 people

Brussels is the largest city in Belgium, located in Western Europe.

It is also well known for being the capital of the European Union (EU).

In 2010, there were 31 murders in Brussels, a number that appears to be average for the city with the year 2008 being a slight exception when 44 homicides were reported.

In 2001, Brussels was the fourth most crime-ridden city in Europe, although this number also took into other crimes such as burglary and assault.




Tourism Observer

LATVIA: airBaltic Planning Eight CS300 Aircraft By End 2017

airBaltic has received the fourth of its 20 Bombardier CS300 jets on firm order. By the end of this year, airBaltic is planning to have eight CS300 aircraft.

The modernized fleet is ensuring growth of airBaltic with at least 13 additional routes and +15% more tickets on sale in 2017.

The fourth airBaltic CS300 aircraft, registered as YL-CSD, arrived in Riga on June 2, 2017. The flight time was 7 hours and 58 minutes and the aircraft covered 6 410 km non-stop distance between the Canadian and Latvian airports.

Thus far, airBaltic has completed more than 1 296 flights and flown over 3 130 block hours with the brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft.

By the end of 2019 airBaltic is planning to have 20 Bombardier CS300 aircraft on its fleet. With an average jet fleet age of only 2 years, airBaltic, as an all-Bombardier operator, will have one of the youngest jet fleets in Europe.

airBaltic CS300 aircraft currently operates on such popular routes as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, Moscow, London, Paris, Vienna, Athens, Madrid and others.

The new Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with a total of 145 seats, offers excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more.

New aircraft is also much quieter – with four times smaller noise footprint.

Moreover, at the moment, it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East.

In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

ESTONIA: Estonia And Sri Lanka To Host Multiple Events

July 1st is the day Estonia begins its six-month term at the helm of the Council of the EU, the country has its plans firmly set on both the event-hosting and political fronts. More than 260 events that are slated to take place during the period, pulling in an estimated 25,000 visitors from abroad.

Most of the conferences will be held in Tallinn, with the Tallinn Creative Hub acting as the main venue for EU presidency-related gatherings.

The unusually large number of events packed into such a short time frame certainly presents a challenge for the Estonian meetings industry, but as Estonians are known for their flexibility and outside-the-box solutions, we're confident that Team Estonia can pull off these events without a hitch,” said ECB Managing Director Kadri Karu.

Among the notable international conferences to take place in the Estonian capital during the presidency will be the Startup Nations Summit, the Connecting Europe Conference and the Estonian Health Tech Cluster's eHealth conference, with the latter two expected to attract 1,500 and 700 delegates, respectively.

Just as these meetings typify Estonia's strong pro-technology credentials, the political priorities the nation has set for its presidential term show an equally tech-related focus.

“Every initiative should be designed to facilitate the lives of businesses and citizens, and to reduce bureaucracy, using as many e-solutions as possible,” Estonia's Government Office wrote, referring to its four policy priorities: an open and innovative European economy, a safe and secure Europe, a digital Europe and the free flow of data, and an inclusive and sustainable Europe.

The Government Office noted that the overarching aim of the Estonian EU presidency was “ensure that the EU remains united and decisive.”

Meanwhile, The PATA Annual Summit 2017 (PAS 2017), under the theme ‘Disruption. Innovation. Transformation: The Future of Tourism’, opened in Negombo, Sri Lanka on May 18 with 406 delegates from 191 organisations representing 39 countries attending the four-day event.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy told local and international media, “The PATA Annual Summit brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are professionally engaged with the Asia Pacific region. At PATA we understand that, to overcome the challenges and issues facing our industry, the public and private sectors must work together.

The summit began with 130 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from Sri Lanka and overseas participating at the PATA Youth Symposium 2017 with the theme ‘No Barriers: Millennials and the Future of Tourism’. The symposium was hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM).

Opening remarks at the one day conference on Friday, May 19 were given by the Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka, and by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai. The conference keynote address on ‘Managing disruption through innovation’ was given by Rafat Ali, CEO & founder of Skift.

Delegates also heard from international thought leaders and industry shapers including Aleandre Kwan, Philanthropies Asia Programme Manager - Microsoft; Andrew Chan, founder and CEO of ACI HR Solutions; Andrew Craig, Head of Corporate Communication India, South Asia and Southeast Asia - Visa Worldwide; Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO and Co-founder – Tripfez; Greg Klassen, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Ha Lam, Co-founder and COO – Triip.me; Jesse Desjardins, Global Manager, Social & Content - Tourism Australia; Joe M. Naaman, Senior Executive Advisor – Global Advisory Council, Skylight Intelligence; Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific – comScore; Jeremy Jauncey, founder & CEO – Beautiful Destinations; Muna Haddad, Managing Director - Baraka; Oliver Martin, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor; Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC – Airbnb; Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President, International Affairs, Office of the President & CEO, Etihad Airways, and Wong Soon-Hwa, Regional Director APAC – Blacklane.

Other topics discussed during the conference were: ‘‘The Transformation of Marketing’, ‘Research Innovation’, ‘Disrupting the Travel Industry’, ‘The Real Future of Tourism: Young Tourism Professionals’, and ‘Embracing Disruption: A Blueprint for the Future of Tourism’.

PATA, in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held a half-day PATA/UNWTO Ministerial Debate on Saturday, May 20 when representatives from the public and private sectors discussed the concepts of recognised sustainability leadership and the sharing economy as they pertain to the travel and tourism industry. The debate was moderated by BBC News Correspondent & Presenter Yogita Limaye.

Panellists included Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General - Tourism Malaysia; Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO - Nepal Tourism Board; Mr. Wander Meijer, Director Asia Pacific - GlobeScan; Mr. Hiran Cooray, Chairman - Jetwing Hotels; Mr Jon Nathan Pangilinan Denight, President and CEO - Guam Visitors Bureau; Mr. Lawrence Leong, Former Assistant Chief Executive (International Group) - Singapore Tourism Board; Ms. Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC - Airbnb, and Mr. Erick Stephens, Chief Technology Officer-APAC, Microsoft.

Before the session on ‘The Shift to Recognised Sustainability Leadership in the Travel and Tourism Industry’, Dr. Rifai provided an inspiring speech regarding the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, while Mr Ali presented on the personalisation of the sharing economy before the session on ‘The Sharing Economy and Travel and Tourism’.

In his speech Dr. Rifai noted, “Asia and the Pacific, which leads the world in international tourism growth, can and should, be a leader in sustainability and innovation; a leader in utilizing the transformative power of travel and tourism in building a new and better world.

A world which is today without any doubt steered by the Pacific.That is why PATA, bringing together the two margins of the Pacific is today a truly global and not only a regional organization.

Delegates gained additional insights about the latest travel and tourism industry trends during the PATA Insights Lounge powered by PechaKucha (formerly the PATA Marketplace) with presentations from Richard Lewis, Partnerships Director Travel and Tourism - What3Words; Mr. Jauncey; Vinoop Goel, Regional Director – Airport, Passenger, Cargo & Security Asia Pacific, IATA; John Schubert, Managing Director – Marketing Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Mr. Stephens; Mr. Nguyen, and Jameson Wong, Director, Business Development, ForwardKeys.

After the presentations, Mr Ali moderated a quick session with all the speakers, highlighting some of the challenges and opportunities for the travel and tourism industry in the current state of the world.

Other highlights of the four-day event included the PATA Awards Presentation, the election of the new PATA Executive Board, the Signing Ceremony of the Private Sector Commitment to the Global Code of Ethics by Triip.me, the signing ceremony with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for PATA Annual Summit 2018, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Mei Shan Municipality Tourism to strengthen the strategic cooperation between both organisations.

High Speed Ferry Cruising Between Tallinn And Helsinki

January 29, 2017 marks the day that Tallink’s new flagship Tallink Shuttle Megastar will start operating on the Tallinn-Helsinki route. In addition to Finnish engineers, Tallink’s customers were also involved in the creation process of this 212-metre vessel as Tallink took into account the experiences and feedback of their customers when constructing the ferry.

For example, Tallink’s customers have asked for more seats and space. As a result, the new ferry has 40% more room for passengers, of whom the ferry can fit 2800. The ferry also includes a completely new feature in the form of a 300-seat lounge area where passengers can recharge their phones and other devices. Following customers’ requests, these kind of recharge points have been added to all resting and eating areas.

The new Megastar has seven different cafés and restaurants offering dining options ranging from fast food to an à la carte menu. As a minor, yet notable remark, it should be brought out that disposable tableware will only be used in the fast food restaurant.

One of the most remarkable changes is the fact that a new passenger terminal 2 will be opened in Helsinki West Harbour in the beginning of 2017, significantly shortening the walking distance between the terminal and ships.

The Tallinn-Helsinki route continues to be AS Tallink Grupp’s most popular with at least three operating vessels transporting over 4.5 million passengers annually across the Gulf of Finland.

ESTONIA: Destination Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia and a perfect holiday destination if you want to combine the comforts of modern world, versatile nightlife and luxurious adventures with rich cultural scene in the local historical setting.

First established in the early medieval era, today’s Tallinn is an exciting mix of old and new. Here’s the good news: with Tallinn being such a compact, green capital, you can cover a lot in just a weekend and enjoy short scenic strolls while at it.

Tallinn Old Town is one of the best preserved Hanseatic town centres in the world. A stone’s throw away you’ll find the city’s business centre with modern towers and luxurious hotels, trendy neighbourhoods and large shopping centres.

The coastal vibe
Tallinn’s luring coastline dotted with promenades and sandy beaches is especially rewarding during the summer but offers scenic views of the iconic cityscape throughout the year.

Easy to access
Tallinn is the first point of entry to Estonia for most visitors, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to jump right in, then you’re in luck, as Tallinn city centre is never more than 15-minutes drive away regardless of if you happen to arrive by plane, train, coach or ferry

DESTINATIONS

Kalamaja
New cafes, bars and galleries have transformed the former industrial complexes of the historical wooden townhouse district, making it the fastest developing area of Tallinn attracting creatives and those young at heart.

Often called the “hipsterville” of Tallinn, this once closed off Soviet border zone is conveniently located between the scenic Tallinn coast and Old Town and hides some real architectural gems.

Telliskivi is the hub of Kalamaja with its many restaurants, theatres and an indoor shopping street selling everything from organic cosmetics to Estonian design. Nearby you’ll find Estonia’s largest and coolest maritime museum Seaplane Harbour as well as the once infamous Patarei sea fortress and prison, peeking into the dark history of the past Soviet occupation.

Kadriorg
Presidential yet cosy, this romantic inner-city area nearby the coast can very well be the place where you’ll find the heart of Tallinn.

Kadriorg palace and art museum surrounded by manicured Kadriorg Park was once established by Tsar Peter the Great as a manifestation of love. The 18th-century park featuring fountains and streams, is surrounded by equally historical wooden houses, with tree branches in bloom leaning over detailed door frames of these stunning masterpieces.

Here you’ll find elegant restaurants, cute cafes with a local charm and a sophisticated art scene.
Kadriorg is a home to Estonia’s largest art collection exhibited in KUMU art museum of Estonia, Kadriorg Art Museum and Adamson-Eric museum, all nestled together along the edge of the park.

Tallinn Old Town
Visitors from all over the world drop around to admire the beauty of Tallinn, the best preserved medieval city in Northern Europe boasting Gothic spires, winding cobblestone streets and enchanting architecture.

Once a home to wealthy merchants settling from Germany, Denmark and beyond, Tallinn Old Town today is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, with restaurants, bars, museums and galleries bringing much life to this historical city centre.

Spend a day in an authentic medieval milieu and you will soon realise why so many visitors have described Tallinn Old Town as mystical, mesmerising and addictive.

Unlike many other capital cities in Europe, Tallinn has managed to wholly preserve its structure of medieval and Hanseatic origin. Here you'll find original cobblestone streets dotted with medieval churches and grandiose merchant houses, barns and warehouses many of which date back to the Middle Ages.

LATIVIA: Riga Airport Leading In The Baltics

The number of passengers served has increased by 6.3%.

In the first half of the year, over 2.52 million passengers were carried, which is a 6.3% increase compared to the first half of the previous year.

The number of flights has increased by 2.1% and over 33 thousand flights have been performed in total.

Serving 45% of Baltic air passengers, Riga's Airport has maintained its leading position in the Baltics.

The "Riga" Airport has recorded a sharp 18.4% increase in the number of transfer passengers, thanks to the success of the national airline "airBaltic" in attracting transfer passengers.

In the first half of the year, transit and transfer passengers accounted for 26.6% of the total number of passengers. The main transfer destinations are Tallinn, Vilnius, Helsinki, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Kiev, Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, but the largest increase in transfer traffic has been in the direction of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, London and Kiev.

This year, the most popular destinations in terms of number of passengers are London, Moscow, Frankfurt, Oslo and Helsinki, while the largest growth has been for flights to Berlin, London, Kiev, Moscow and Stockholm.

In the first half of the year, two new airlines have launched routes - "Vueling" (Riga-Barcelona-Riga) and "Aegan Airlines" (Riga-Athens-Riga).

Currently, the airport is successfully carrying out the terminal's development. The new terminal is expected to be completed by this year's winter flight-season.

LATVIA: airBaltic Flying Vilnius To Tallinn

airBaltic commenced services between Vilnius (VNO) and Tallinn (TLL) on 18 April. The 529-kilometre sector will be served by the carrier twice-daily on weekdays with no weekend service according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

airBaltic will utilise its Q400 fleet on the route. Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic, commented on the launch by saying: “The opening of a Vilnius to Tallinn route is a symbolic new beginning for airBaltic, as it marks the successful conclusion of our restructuring programme.

Under the restructure, it was one of 14 profitable routes that we had to give up, and now we are relaunching it so that our Baltic customers benefit from convenient morning and evening departures, and considerably lower fares on the route.”

airBaltic will face direct competition on the route from Nordica which operates a 16 times weekly service between the two capital cities. For airBaltic this service becomes its third Baltic capital connection, with it already connecting both Vilnius and Tallinn with its Riga hub in Latvia.

Vilnius Airport celebrated the start of airBaltic’s flights to Tallinn on 18 April with cupcakes which were handed out to passengers by Arturas Stankevicius, Director of Vilnius Airport.

The Lithuanian facility also conducted a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony to cement the start of services. Conducting the ceremony is Stankevicius along with Inga Slapelyte, Junior Sales Manager for the airline.

Flights will be operated double-daily on weekdays using Q400s.

Tallinn Airport celebrated airBaltic’s launch of flights from Vilnius with this fantastic cake. Flights on the 529-kilometre sector will be operated by the airline’s fleet of Q400s.