Latvia to organize Middle East repatriation flight using airBaltic / Article

The Ministry of Transport, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure the repatriation of Latvian nationals with an Air Baltic Corporation AS flight from the region.
 
In repatriation and evacuation measures, priority will be given to vulnerable persons – families with children, minors, and persons with health and mobility disabilities.
 
Repatriation financing will be taken from the state budget program “Funds for Unforeseen Events” to cover expenses of 150,000 euros per flight, with up to 752,000 euros made available in total. Passengers themselves will make a co-payment of 350 euros, according to the announcement, which specifies that the price charged by airBaltic to the state for providing flights “corresponds to the actual costs.”

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will, if necessary, organize the evacuation of Latvian nationals from the United Arab Emirates by land transport to countries neighboring the United Arab Emirates.

Currently, flight BT7701 is planned to be operated on 6 March 2026 with departure from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 17:50 local time. The flight to Riga is planned with a technical stop in Heraklion (Greece), and the aircraft is expected to arrive in Riga on 7 March at 02:10 local time. The flight is planned to provide 145 seats. 

Latvian nationals who have registered in the Consular Register on the portal Latvija.gov.lv or in the mobile application “Ceļo droši” will be contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and informed about the possibility to participate in the flight and the further procedure. 

Passengers are strongly advised not to go to the airport under any circumstances until they have received an individual confirmation of their inclusion in the passenger list for the specific flight. 

Due to the rapidly changing circumstances, unforeseen changes may occur in the operation of the flight. In such cases, passengers will be informed in a timely manner. 

“airBaltic understands that this situation creates uncertainty, and the airline is ready to act promptly, including adjusting the flight schedule and operating additional flights if necessary, in order to support affected passengers as soon as it is possible to safely resume flights. Any further potential flights will be announced publicly at a later stage,” said airBaltic. 

Passengers who already hold airBaltic tickets for flights to or from Dubai with departure dates until 31 March 2026 are offered several free-of-charge options. If the flight to or from Dubai was cancelled (currently, including up to 8 March), passengers may request a refund of the ticket price or choose one of the following alternatives: 

• choose an airBaltic gift voucher for future travel; 

• rebook free of charge to later airBaltic flights to or from Tel Aviv and Dubai within the validity period of the ticket; 

• change the destination to another airBaltic route free of charge. 

If passengers wish to make changes to their booking, they are invited to contact the airBaltic Call Centre at +371 67280422.  

For the latest information, travellers are invited to follow airBaltic’s official communication channels, including the website www.airbaltic.com and the airline’s social media accounts. 

Tell us about a mistake