What airBaltic Crews and Ground Teams Are Owed as Restructuring Could Affect 500 to 700 Positions

airBaltic estimates that its planned changes could affect approximately 500 to 700 positions across its bases in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn, out of a workforce of approximately 3 000 people across the Baltics. The figure is a current estimate that may change within the course of the process. This guide looks at the news from the side of airBaltic pilots, cabin crew, engineers, ground handlers and head office staff, and of aviation workers across the Baltic states. For Metaintro readers, the useful part is the rulebook behind the headline, covering the notice periods, the severance tiers, the order in which staff keep their jobs under Latvia's Labour Law, and the dates still to come in the Chapter 11 case in New York. Here is that detail, step by step.

What Did airBaltic Announce on October 5?

The airline set out the range on October 5, 2026, describing it as workforce adjustments to make sure the company's structure and cost base are aligned with the future scale of the carrier. The estimate of 500 to 700 positions is based on current planning assumptions, so neither end of the range is a final count.

The width of the range has a reason. It reflects ongoing consultations with trade unions on potential reduced workload arrangements for pilots and cabin crew, as well as new organisational structures for the rest of the company, which are expected to be defined by mid-October.

More detailed information will be provided to employees during October, and the airline has notified Latvia's State Employment Agency of the planned collective redundancy process. The planned changes do not affect airBaltic's current flight schedule.

No final decisions have been made regarding individual employees, and we will engage directly with our colleagues as the next steps are determined, airBaltic President and CEO Erno Hildén said, according to the airBaltic workforce announcement.

Which Jobs and Bases Could Be Affected?

Individual decisions have not yet been made, so it would be premature to provide estimates for individual bases, functions or employee groups, an airBaltic spokesperson said.

What is known is how the two groups of staff are being handled. Pilots and cabin crew are the subject of union talks on possible reduced workloads, while for other parts of the business new organisational structures are expected to be defined by mid-October.

The three bases named are Riga in Latvia, Vilnius in Lithuania and Tallinn in Estonia. The airline also serves Dublin with flights to cities including Riga, Vilnius, Palanga, Tallinn and Helsinki, though the job estimate names only its bases in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn.

What Has Changed Since the Chapter 11 Filing in September?

Air Baltic Corporation AS and two affiliates filed petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on September 14, 2026, and the case is assigned to Judge Lisa G. Beckerman. The three debtors are Air Baltic Corporation AS and its affiliates Air Baltic Training and Baltijas Kravu Centrs, with the lead case numbered 26-12188 on the Epiq case website.

In September, the chief executive told Reuters the airline was in talks with labour unions over an adjustment to the workforce, the same talks behind airBaltic Files for Chapter 11 and Tells Unions Job Cuts Are Coming. On October 5, airBaltic set out an estimate of 500 to 700 positions, confirmed it had notified the State Employment Agency and gave a mid-October timetable for new structures.

Money has also moved. airBaltic gained approval last month to access €140m from a wider €350m financing package. At the time of the filing, the airline said scheduled flights, ticket sales, reservations and customer services would continue normally throughout the process.

Why Is airBaltic Getting Smaller?

The job estimate is part of a broader set of measures under the new business plan, whose approval airBaltic confirmed on August 11, 2026. That plan prioritises financial stability over growth, and it combines a more focused network centred on Riga, a smaller all-Airbus A220-300 fleet, stronger year-round ACMI partnerships and improved operational efficiency.

The fleet target is the heart of it. airBaltic expects to have 36 aircraft by the end of 2026, with a plan to gradually increase this to around 40 aircraft by 2031, against a previous growth plan built around a 100-aircraft fleet. Despite the smaller fleet, scheduled capacity is expected to remain broadly stable through improved aircraft utilization, according to the airline.

airBaltic gave as reasons slower demand and revenue growth, geopolitical uncertainty in Ukraine and the Middle East, higher operating costs and prolonged Pratt & Whitney engine availability constraints. When it sought Chapter 11 protection, the airline cited the need to tackle its debt load alongside elevated fuel costs and operational disruptions tied to the Iran war, Bloomberg reported.

The plan also sought €225 million of interim financing and €100 million of new equity capital, and the airline expects revenue of approximately EUR 0.8 billion in 2027. The airline is majority-owned by the Latvian State, which holds 88.37% of voting rights, with Deutsche Lufthansa AG holding 10%.

What Does Latvian Law Say About a Collective Redundancy?

For an employer that normally employs 300 or more employees in the undertaking, a collective redundancy means at least 30 employees made redundant within 30 days. airBaltic, which employs about 3,000 people across the Baltic states, itself describes the process as a planned collective redundancy.

The law sets out what must happen first. The employer has to consult employee representatives in good time to agree on the number of employees subject to the redundancy, the process and the social guarantees for those leaving. During those talks, both sides must examine all the possibilities of avoiding the collective redundancy or of reducing the number of employees affected, and how to alleviate the effects through social measures that create the possibility to further employ or retrain the employees made redundant.

The employer must also notify the State Employment Agency and the local government where the undertaking is located in writing not later than 30 days in advance. The notification must include the employer's name, the location and type of activity of the undertaking, the reasons, the number of employees to be made redundant with the occupation and qualifications of each, the number normally employed, the period over which the redundancy is intended, and information on the consultations with employee representatives. A true copy goes to the representatives of employees.

An employer may commence collective redundancy not earlier than 30 days after the submission of a notification to the State Employment Agency, unless the employer and the representatives of employees have agreed on a later date for commencing the collective redundancy, according to Latvia's Labour Law.

In exceptional cases the agency may extend the time limit to 60 days. Once notice is given to a worker for a reduction in the number of employees, the notice period is one month, or two months for an employee recognised as a person with a disability, unless the collective agreement or contract sets a longer period.

Who Keeps Their Job, and Who Is Protected?

Latvian law gives an order of preference. When the number of employees is reduced, the preference to stay goes to employees who have higher performance results and higher qualifications.

If performance and qualifications do not substantially differ, the law lists further groups with a preference to remain, including employees who:

• have worked for the relevant employer for a longer time
• are raising a child in the age of up to 14 years or a child with a disability in the age of up to 18 years
• have two or more dependants, or whose family members do not have a regular income
• for whom less than five years remain until reaching the age of retirement
• are acquiring an occupation in an educational institution without discontinuing work

None of these preferences has priority over the others. Some people are shielded outright. An employer is prohibited from giving notice to a pregnant woman, as well as to a woman during the period following childbirth up to one year, and during the whole period of breastfeeding, but no longer than until two years of age of the child, except in limited cases that do not include a reduction in staff.

Union membership matters too. An employer may not give notice to a trade union member without prior consent of the relevant trade union if the employee has been a member of the trade union for more than six months, subject to listed exceptions. And a worker who has been given notice for a staff reduction can ask in writing for sufficient time, within the scope of the contracted working time, for seeking other job.

How Much Severance Could Riga-Based Staff Receive?

Unless a collective agreement or the employment contract specifies more, Latvia's Labour Law sets four severance tiers for notice given because the number of employees is being reduced.

• Under five years. One month average earnings if the employee has been with the employer for less than five years.
• Five to 10 years. Two months average earnings.
• 10 to 20 years. Three months average earnings.
• More than 20 years. Four months average earnings.

These are minimums that a collective agreement or employment contract can raise. When the employer informs employee representatives about the redundancy, it must also set out the procedures for calculation of severance pay if they differ from the procedures specified in Section 112, so any different severance calculation the employer intends must be set out to employee representatives at that stage. If you are in a union, ask your representative whether your collective agreement pays more than the legal minimum.

What About Staff Based in Vilnius and Tallinn?

The figures below are the general national rules in Lithuania and Estonia, as summarised in Eurofound's restructuring legislation database.

In Lithuania, when an employer ends a contract without any fault on the employee's part, it must pay severance pay in the amount of two times the average salary, reduced to half of the average salary for employment relationships that last less than one year. Staff with at least five years of continuous service may also get a long-term service allowance from the Long-term Service Allowance Fund, starting at 77.58% of the employee's average salary for one month for five to 10 years of service, unless they sign a new employment contract within three months.

In Estonia, an employer ending a contract due to redundancy must pay compensation in the amount of one month's average wage, based on the previous six months' wage. Staff with 5 to 10 years with the same employer get an additional one month's salary from the unemployment insurance fund, Töötukassa, and those with 10 or more years get two months added by the fund.

What Is the Latvian Aviation Trade Union Saying?

In August, the Latvian Aviation Trade Union said the business plan would directly affect employment guarantees for hundreds of employees, and, based on its own calculations, it believed scenarios involving a 20 percent to 30 percent reduction in the number of employees were assessed while the plan was drawn up.

Its core complaint was about timing. The union said no consultations with the union have taken place and that it learned about the plan from the media, and it argued that consultation should have begun while the plan was being developed. In August, the Latvian Aviation Trade Union was the largest trade labor union in the aviation sector, representing employees from six aviation companies.

On October 5, airBaltic's chief executive said the airline remains committed to carrying out the process in full compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements, as well as the relevant consultation procedures.

What Happens Next in the Court Case and the Talks?

Two clocks are running. The first is the workforce process, with new structures for non-flying staff expected to be defined by mid-October and more detail for employees promised during October.

The second is the court case. Hearings are scheduled for 9 October, 19 October, 18 November and 17 December 2026, and a meeting of creditors under Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code will be held October 22, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. (ET). Deadlines for filing proofs of claim have yet to be established by the Bankruptcy Court, though a claim form can already be filed online, and a Latvian-language notice of the case is posted alongside the English one.

A restructuring information line has a toll free number for U.S. and Canada based parties and a non-U.S. number for international parties, for additional information and inquiries about these cases.

What Help Is Available From Latvia's State Employment Agency?

For employees at risk of unemployment, the agency offers information and advice to individuals or groups, information on the latest developments in the labour market and possibilities to meet potential employers. It also offers information on its services, career consulting and measures for increase of competitiveness, with more details at the nearest local office.

Staff at risk of redundancy can ask the nearest SEA local office about these services.

What This Means for airBaltic Staff, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this is a planned reduction with a range attached, not yet a list of names. The airline has said no final decisions have been made regarding individual employees, and the range of 500 to 700 positions may change. More detail for employees is due during October.

Here is what we would do:

• Pilots and cabin crew, follow the workload talks. The outcome of union talks on reduced workload arrangements shapes the final range, so stay close to your union and ask what a reduced roster would pay.
• Ground and office staff, watch for the mid-October structure. The new organisation for the rest of the company is expected by mid-October.
• Work out your severance floor. In Latvia it runs from one month to four months of average earnings depending on service, and your collective agreement may pay more.
• Check whether you fall in a protected or preferred group. Long service, having two or more dependants and raising a child in the age of up to 14 years are among the listed preferences, so make sure your records with HR are current.
• Ask for job-search time once notice is given. The law lets you request sufficient time for seeking other job within your working hours.
• Update your CV now. Licences, type ratings and A220 experience are worth putting first, and How to Job Search With AI After a Layoff is one place to start on the search itself.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs is airBaltic cutting?

A: airBaltic estimates that its planned changes could affect approximately 500 to 700 positions across its bases in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn, and says the number may change as the process continues.

Q: Is airBaltic still flying during the restructuring?

A: Yes, the planned changes do not affect airBaltic's current flight schedule, and the airline says all scheduled flights are operating according to plan.

Q: What severance do redundant workers get in Latvia?

A: Unless a collective agreement or contract pays more, it ranges from one month average earnings for under five years of service to four months for more than 20 years.

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