As most airlines scrap jet orders, one tiny carrier is throttling up

Airlines are doing everything they can to scrap or delay jetliner deliveries amid an unprecedented collapse in air travel. Not Air Baltic. The carrier has started talks with Airbus to accelerate handovers of its A220 model, CE Martin Gauss said. The existing plan to assemble a fleet of 50 of the narrow-body jets by 2025 could come to fruition a couple of years early, he said. Air Baltic is among a handful of carriers pledging to lean into the Covid-19 crisis that’s handed the industry its worst ever demand slump and led to the collapse of operators including Virgin Australia. The rebound could offer a chance to win market share, Gauss said, adding that one potential step could be geographical expansion in the neighbouring Nordics. Gauss predicts the A220 will be ideally suited to the tougher travel market. <br/>