Air Baltic plans up to 700 job cuts but says SWISS flights are unaffected

Air Baltic plans to eliminate up to 700 jobs as it moves to stabilise its finances. The Latvian airline, a key operating partner for Swiss International Air Lines, announced plans to cut between 500 and 700 positions from a workforce of around 3,000 people.

The restructuring comes with a smaller fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft and a revised commercial strategy. Air Baltic said it intends to place greater emphasis on long-term partnerships with other airlines, a model that includes its cooperation with SWISS.

For Swiss passengers, the immediate message is continuity. Air Baltic said the planned changes will not affect the current flight schedule operated on behalf of SWISS. The statement offers no indication that booked services will be withdrawn or retimed as part of the first phase of the plan.

The decision nevertheless places a major European aviation partner under pressure. A reduction of up to 700 jobs would affect almost one quarter of the carrier’s current workforce if the upper end of the range is implemented. Air Baltic expects to complete its new organisational structure by mid-October 2026, giving employees and partner airlines a short window for clarity on the final scale of the cuts.

The cuts will be concentrated across Air Baltic’s Baltic network, with Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn identified as affected locations. These three capitals form the carrier’s operational footprint and connect the airline to markets across Northern and Central Europe.

Air Baltic has not disclosed in the source statement how the planned reductions will be distributed between the three sites. It also has not published the final list of affected departments or roles. Those details are expected to emerge as the company finalises its organisational structure by mid-October.

The timing matters for employees and regional aviation. Air Baltic is a significant employer in Latvia and maintains a wider Baltic presence through its bases and operations in Estonia and Lithuania. Changes to staffing could affect support functions, airport operations and other parts of the business, although the company has not specified the individual areas targeted.

The carrier framed the measures as a cost reduction and financial stabilisation plan. Its proposed smaller A220-300 fleet points to a more limited operating scale. At the same time, management intends to deepen long-term partnerships, suggesting that cooperation with larger airlines will remain part of Air Baltic’s business model as it adjusts its own capacity.

Five Air Baltic A220-300 aircraft were operating flights for SWISS in early March. The arrangement gives the Latvian carrier a direct role in the Swiss airline’s network, while allowing SWISS to use an established partner for selected services.

Air Baltic’s announcement does not currently change that operating picture. The airline said its current flight schedule will remain unaffected, a commitment that covers the services it operates for SWISS under the existing timetable. Swiss travellers should therefore continue to check their booking details and normal airline updates, but the restructuring announcement itself does not signal a schedule disruption.

The planned fleet reduction will still be watched closely in Switzerland. A smaller A220-300 fleet could alter how Air Baltic allocates aircraft between its own flights and partner operations once the new plan takes effect. The source statement does not give a target fleet size or a date for aircraft changes, so any longer-term consequences for SWISS remain unclear.

For now, the partnership remains part of Air Baltic’s stated future direction. The carrier specifically plans to focus more on long-term airline relationships while reducing costs. That approach could preserve cooperation with SWISS, provided the final fleet and staffing decisions support the current network commitments.