Long-term Air Baltic chief Gauss stepping down as carrier progresses towards IPO

Air Baltic’s long-term chief executive, Martin Gauss, is stepping down from his post, as the Latvian carrier edges towards a planned initial public offering. Chief operations officer Pauls Calitis will temporarily take over as the head of the airline. The carrier says the supervisory board decided upon changes to the company’s management on 7 April, following a regular shareholders’ meeting. No specific reason has been given for Gauss’s leaving the position to which he was appointed nearly 14 years ago. He took over the helm of Air Baltic having previously led Hungary’s then-national airline Malev. Air Baltic supervisory board chair Andrejs Martinovs credits Gauss with steering the carrier through “significant transformation and growth” and “laying a strong foundation” for its future. The company says its operations “will not be impacted” by the management changes, and Martinovs adds that the “core objectives remain unchanged”. Air Baltic is continuing to progress towards a potential IPO.<br/>