DUSHANBE, April 3, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- AirBaltic has decided to stop flights to Tajikistan.

We will recall that the air route between Dushanbe and Riga was launched on June 1, 2009.  It was a twice-weekly service – the flights were operated on Mondays and Fridays.  AirBaltic suspended fights to Dushanbe in the autumn of 2010.  The air carrier resumed flights to Tajikistan in 2011.

However, AirBaltic stopped flights to Dushanbe in 2012.  According to the AirBaltic representatives, they are not going to resume flights to Dushanbe.

In Central Asia, AirBaltic now operates flights only to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

A/S Air Baltic Corporation, operating as AirBaltic and styled as airBaltic, is the Latvian flag carrier airline and a low-cost carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Marupe municipality, near the capital, Riga.  Its main hub is at Riga International Airport.  It has been state owned since November 30, 2011.

The airline was established on August 28, 1995 with the signing of a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and the Latvian state.  AirBaltic previously had strong links with SAS, which owned 47.2% of the airline (the Latvian state holds the remainder) until January 2009, when they sold all their shares to AirBaltic management.

As of December 2012, the AirBaltic fleet includes 9 Boeing 7373-300, 5 Boeing 737-500, 8 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, and 6 Fokker F50.  The company now operates 60 direct flights from Riga (some of them are seasonal).