Moreover, airBaltic concluded H1 with a significant comparable EBITDAR of nearly EUR 57 million, exceeding the 2022 figure by approximately EUR 50 million. In Q2, the airline achieved a record-breaking comparable EBITDAR of EUR 53.8 million, resulting in an EBITDAR margin close to 29%. The data confirm that airBaltic has attained its highest-ever revenue for the first half of a single year, reaching EUR 291 million. This marks an impressive 52% increase in contrast to the previous year and a substantial 33% improvement over 2019.
“However, the shortage of spare engines, which led to an average of 11 aircraft grounded, significantly impacted our performance of Q2. That delayed even greater improvement in total results. To mitigate this capacity loss, we were forced to wet-lease in substitute aircraft. Despite these obstacles, airBaltic's commercial performance was strong,” Gauss added.
During the first six months of 2023, airBaltic carried close to 2.0 million passengers, or 52% more than during the same period last year. In turn, flight operations soared by 20%, reaching 20 294 performed flights. Essentially, July marked the first time since 2019 and the fifth time in the history of airBaltic, when over 500 000 passengers were carried in a single month.