airBaltic Moves to Cut About 300 Pilots and Cabin Crew in Bankruptcy Restructuring

October 31, 2026 — Latvia’s airBaltic plans to cut around 300 crew jobs, about 100 pilots and 200 flight attendants, as it restructures under U.S. Chapter 11 protection, according to the Latvian Aviation Union.

What happened

The Latvian Aviation Union (LAU), which represents airBaltic pilots, cabin crew, technicians and office staff, says it strongly opposes the cuts and has not been given the criteria the airline will use to choose who goes. The union has asked the Latvian government to step in, calling the jobs “people’s careers, livelihoods, and futures.” Dates for notices and departures have not been confirmed by the airline (TBA).

airBaltic filed for Chapter 11 in the United States in September, citing higher jet fuel prices and network disruption from conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It has a commitment for €350 million (about $403.6 million) in debtor-in-possession financing and says it is flying its normal schedule during the case. AirlineGeeks did not include a statement from airBaltic on the cuts.

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What it means for travelers

• airBaltic says its schedule is running normally for now, so existing bookings should operate, but a 300-person crew reduction signals a smaller operation ahead.
• Fewer crews would usually mean fewer flights. Watch coming schedule changes for frequency cuts, which would mean fuller flights on airBaltic’s Riga-based network.
• Because the airline is in bankruptcy, avoid relying on airBaltic as your only way home; have a backup carrier for any trip through Riga.

Sources

• AirlineGeeks: AirBaltic Moves to Cut Around 300 Employees