When airlines talk about “network expansion,” the real question is always the same: where exactly are the planes going?
For summer 2026, Latvian carrier airBaltic has provided a reasonably straightforward answer—and Greece is firmly on the map.
Following its initial route announcement in September 2025, airBaltic is expanding its summer offering across the Baltic States, introducing ten new destinations and reinstating four routes, while significantly increasing seat capacity in Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius. Among the additions, one route stands out for southern Europe and leisure-focused travel: Tallinn–Athens.
Greece enters the Baltic summer schedule.
The Tallinn–Athens route will launch on April 29, 2026, with twice-weekly service. It marks a direct seasonal link between Estonia and Greece, strengthening access to Athens for Baltic travellers without the usual detours through Central Europe.
For Greece, this is a familiar pattern: northern European connectivity expands steadily, quietly, and often without fanfare—yet it consistently delivers high-value traffic outside peak Mediterranean markets.
Capacity growth across the Baltics
airBaltic’s broader summer 2026 expansion translates into tangible capacity increases:
- Riga: +12% capacity (over 400,000 additional seats)
- Tallinn: +11% capacity (more than 90,000 additional seats)
- Lithuania (Vilnius, Palanga, Kaunas): +21% capacity (over 150,000 additional seats)
According to Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President of Network Management, the strategy focuses on offering more destinations, better connectivity, and greater flexibility—standard airline language, but backed this time by visible route growth: “Our summer 2026 expansion reflects a clear focus on our customers and their travel needs. By expanding our network and increasing seat capacity across all three Baltic capitals, we are offering more destinations, better connectivity, and greater flexibility, while continuing to strengthen the Baltic States’ connectivity with Europe and beyond.”
New routes launching for summer 2026
New routes announced this winter include:
- Riga–Warsaw – from March 30, 2026 (3x weekly)
- Riga–Gothenburg – from April 13, 2026 (2x weekly)
- Vilnius–Zurich – from May 3, 2026 (3x weekly)
- Vilnius–Chisinau – from April 1, 2026 (2x weekly)
These sit alongside the routes already announced in September 2025, including:
- Tallinn–Athens (Greece) – from April 29, 2026 (2x weekly)
- Tallinn–Hamburg – from March 29, 2026
- Tallinn–Vienna – from March 30, 2026
- Riga–Antalya – from May 2, 2026
- Riga–Oulu and Riga–Kaunas – from March 29, 2026
Reinstated routes return quietly.
In addition to new destinations, airBaltic will also resume four previously suspended routes:
- Riga–Aberdeen (from June 2, 2026)
- Riga–Belgrade (from March 30, 2026)
- Riga–Yerevan (from May 2, 2026)
- Tallinn–Oslo (from March 29, 2026)
These reinstatements signal a return to pre-adjustment connectivity rather than experimental growth—an essential distinction in the current aviation climate.
Frequencies increase, details to follow.
Beyond new and reinstated routes, airBaltic plans to increase frequencies on 30 existing routes:
- 20 from Riga
- 4 from Tallinn
- 7 from Vilnius
The airline says the complete list will be announced on December 17, 2025. Still, the message is already clear: summer 2026 is about densifying the network, not just stretching it. In total, airBaltic expects to operate more than 110 routes next summer—around 9% more than this year.
Why Greece matters here
For Greece, the Tallinn–Athens connection is not a headline-grabbing mega-route. It is something more valuable: a steady, northern European corridor feeding cultural, city-break, and shoulder-season travel.
These are the routes that quietly perform—without crowds, without noise, and often with better spending profiles. Sometimes, that is precisely the kind of expansion that matters most.
