airBaltic Plans to Cut 100 Pilots and 200 Cabin Crew

airBaltic intends to cut about 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew members, according to the Latvian Aviation Union. The union says the process starts this weekend.

In a statement issued on 29 October 2026, the union said that from 31 October roughly 300 airBaltic employees will "start learning whether they keep their jobs". An airBaltic spokesperson confirmed the figures of about 100 pilots and 200 cabin crew, but said they are not final and may change once the employee evaluation is complete.

Union objects to the selection criteria

The union claims the airline is ranking staff on "criteria the unions have not received in writing". It also says the promotion lists being used are ones that airBaltic itself said on 3 September contain "non-objective elements". According to the union, all of the cabin crew cuts fall on the Riga base, while Tallinn and Vilnius stay "untouched".

The union further alleges that up to 30 cabin crew jobs at the Belgrade operation have been filled through a Serbian temporary work agency while permanent crew are dismissed. It asked airBaltic managers Erno Hildén and Katya Leidmane to meet this week and hold back all individual notifications until the criteria have been reviewed together.

The union also claims that Katya Leidmane, airBaltic's vice president of human resources, "repeatedly refused to provide in writing the assessment criteria". It says it received an email with some description of the methodology only on 27-28 October, and that the methodology is already being applied without discussion. "Consultations cannot be closed while basic questions remain open," the union wrote.

What the airline says

airBaltic says the redundancies are linked to the flight volume and route network planned for next year. The cut in pilot numbers will affect all three of its bases, the airline said. It added that Riga has more staff than it needs, and that where possible employees will be offered positions at the other two bases, where it is understaffed.

The airline's international communication representative, Edvards Dālderis, said the selection criteria followed several rounds of consultation with trade unions. airBaltic first proposed different criteria, he said, then accepted a compromise: using the evaluation systems already applied to pilots and cabin crew. Two other unions proposed this approach, according to him. The criteria take length of service into account, which the Latvian Aviation Union stressed, along with professional qualifications and other factors tied to job duties.

Dālderis said the Latvian Aviation Union's concerns about certain evaluation criteria were also "heard and assessed". He added that airBaltic "is aware of the impact this process has on its employees" and is committed to carrying it out as transparently and consistently as possible.

The cuts follow an announcement on 5 October that between 500 and 700 employees could lose their jobs. airBaltic has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US. It plans to shrink its all-Airbus A220-300 fleet from 54 aircraft to 36 by the end of 2026, then grow it back to around 40 by 2031.

An email explaining the process was sent to staff on 27 October, the union said.

Source: AeroTime