airBaltic opens technical academy in Riga
Latvian national carrier airBaltic has inaugurated its technical academy in Riga, offering hands-on training focused on the A220-300 across three specialised programmes.
“Today marks a significant milestone for airBaltic and the entire Baltic region as we launch our new Technical Academy,” explained airBaltic president and CEO Martin Gauss. “This initiative will provide students with high-level technical education and professional skills, preparing them for a successful career within the aviation industry”.
With facilities in Latvia’s Liepaja and Riga, the airBaltic technical academy will support the airline’s goal of recruiting and training nearly 400 new aviation maintenance professionals by 2030. In addition, its opening “marks an additional step in [airBaltic’s] internship and training collaborations with universities and is a great addition to [the airline’s] in-house technical training programmes for newly hired professionals,” added airBaltic.
Three training routes are on offer. The first, the RTU airBaltic programme, is a paid full-time course in partnership with Riga Technical University. All study and training expenses are covered by the airline, with graduates receiving a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Transport and an EASA Part-66 certificate.
The LTV airBaltic programme (conducted in partnership with Liepaja State Technical School) will offer a vocational education degree alongside an EASA Part-66 qualification, with tuition funded by the state and the airline. Finally, the airBaltic mechanics programme will allow students to work towards EASA certification as certified B1 and B2 technicians, solely funded by airBaltic.
Selection for the technical academy will be initiated on an annual basis, with the first 57 students having recently commenced their studies.
