Announcement on the search for airBaltic’s CEO and Executive Board Member

We are seeking an exceptional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Executive Board to lead the leading airline in the region through a transformative phase of significant growth, commercial scaling, and strategic entry into the capital markets.

The CEO will serve as the chief strategist of the airline’s future, accountable for delivering profitable growth, ensuring operational excellence, and preparing the company for its potential Initial Public Offering (IPO). Reporting directly to the Supervisory Board, the CEO will oversee and lead all facets of the business, providing visionary leadership to the management team and serving as the primary external representative of the company to investors, regulators, partners, media, and the broader public.

Location: Riga, Latvia.

Full time, on-site.

About airBaltic

airBaltic is the leading airline in the Baltics and one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe. As a hybrid airline, it combines the advantages of both traditional and low-cost carriers. With almost 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and seasonally from Gran Canaria, airBaltic connects the Baltics with more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region.

airBaltic was founded in 1995 and currently operates one of the youngest fleets in Europe, consisting of 50 Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The airline employs more than 2,800 people. In February 2025, airBaltic became the first European airline to offer free high-speed SpaceX Starlink internet on its flights.

The main shareholder of the company is the Latvian state with 97.97% of the shares, while private shareholders own 2.03%. In January 2025, Lufthansa Group invested in the acquisition of a minority stake in airBaltic. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.

airBaltic is committed to excellence and has been recognized with outstanding awards, with Skytrax recognizing airBaltic as the best airline in its region for three consecutive years. In 2023, APEX awarded the company the Passengers' Choice Award for the best in-flight service in Europe, and in 2024, airBaltic received the APEX Four Star Airline Award, recognizing its commitment to providing a high-quality travel experience. In addition, in 2024, airBaltic was awarded the PROS AI Innovator Award for using artificial intelligence to optimize its operations. In 2025, airBaltic was included in the rating of the global agency Airline Ratings for the first time, recognizing it as one of the 50 safest airlines in the world and ranking it among the world's best airlines.

Key Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership and oversight of day-to-day operations as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Board.
Drive the execution of the company’s growth strategy, including plans to double the fleet capacity within five years, while maintaining a clear focus on profitability.
Lead potential IPO readiness, including governance enhancements, financial systems, investor relations, and regulatory compliance, ensuring alignment with shareholder and stakeholder expectations.
Serve as the primary company representative to external stakeholders including regulators (ICAO, EASA, LVCAA), IATA, manufacturers, and investors.
Steer strategic partnerships, alliances, and negotiations with aircraft lessors, manufacturers, and service providers; manage supply chain issues to ensure operational efficiency and continuity.
Oversee growth of company customer base, and diversification of its markets.
Ensure the highest standards of operational safety, customer service, and regulatory compliance.
Build and sustain a high-performance leadership team and organizational culture.
Oversee critical business functions with direct reporting lines from Commercial, Information Systems and Data, Human Resources, Public Relations, and Legal departments.

Candidate Profile

Experience

Over 10 years of C-level (senior management) experience, preferably at the Executive Board level, in aviation industry, with exposure to both network airline and ACMI operations.
Proven success in scaling complex organizations, specifically with over 2 000 employees and annual turnover exceeding EUR 500 million, as well as experience in managing large-scale fleet expansion.
Proven experience managing companies through major capital market transactions, including successful fundraising efforts, with a strong emphasis on investor engagement and long-term value creation.
Deep understanding of regulatory environments, supported by strong relationships with key stakeholders in the airline industry - including carriers, regulatory authorities, industry associations, and supply chain partners.
Track record of achieving profitability in high-growth environments.

Skills & Competencies

Strategic and visionary leadership, with the ability to define and execute ambitious growth strategies, including fleet expansion and market development.
Entrepreneurial mindset, balanced with rigorous governance standards (understanding of aviation safety regulations, compliance, and operational standards).
Strong results orientation, with a clear focus on achieving profitability, growth targets, and successfully attracting potential investments in capital markets.
Excellent planning and organizational skills, ensuring effective prioritization, resource allocation, and operational execution in a high-growth environment.
Strong financial acumen, with proven experience in capital markets.
Outstanding people leadership and team-building capabilities.
Excellent negotiation, communication, and public representation skills, with a proven ability to engage confidently with media, government, investors, and international partners.
Has an excellent command of the English at a level necessary for the professional performance of a board member’s duties – not lower than C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Multilingual capability is an advantage. Has command of the official state language (Latvian) to the extent required by regulatory acts governing the use of the state language – in case of not sufficient Latvian language knowledge the translation can be provided when required.

Education

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Aviation Management, Economics, Law or equivalent.
Executive education from top-tier institutions is considered an advantage.

Eligibility criteria

In accordance with applicable regulations, candidates must meet the following mandatory eligibility criteria:

Impeccable professional and personal reputation, aligned with the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct expected of an Executive Board member.
Have no unexpunged or unrepealed criminal convictions for intentional offences.
Not be subject to a court ruling within criminal proceedings that restricts their right to engage in commercial or professional activities.
Not be subject to an active insolvency (bankruptcy) process.
Not hold, nor have held within the 24 months preceding the application deadline, an executive position within a political party or political alliance that exercises leadership or representation on behalf of the party (such as board member, chairperson, president, general secretary, or equivalent leadership role).

Background check will be conducted on all applicants, as well as restrictions that prohibit the hire in accordance with the law “On Aviation” Article 57.1. will be evaluated (if previous criminal or certain administrative charges apply or they are still in investigation stage).

Application

Application for the role shall be made in a single submission by sending required documents to email address: recruitment@airbaltic.com.

The deadline for the application is 23 May 2025.

The application shall include the following documents:

A motivation letter in English, disclosing the suitability of the candidate for the position in question (including facts, practical examples demonstrating the required level of education, experience and skills, suitability for the position of the Member of the Executive Board, indicating his/her competences based on the results achieved);
A curriculum vitae (CV) in English;
Signed declaration (see attached file) as a written proof of compliance of:
a. the requirements of Section 31 (4) of the Law on Management of Public Entity Capital Shares and Capital Companies,
b. that, subject to the restrictions set out in the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in the Activities of Public Officials, the candidate will avoid potential conflict of interest situations if elected to the relevant position,
c. that he/she accepts the status as a public official and the restrictions imposed on them.
d. statement that there is no reason to doubt his/her impeccable reputation.
Copies of evidence of education, any additional education requested;
Proof of a satisfactory level of English.
Proof that he/she meets the required experience, competencies, and skills (copies of training certificates, references and other documents);
A certificate from the Criminal Records Office of the respective residence country on the person's entire life including details of administrative and criminal offences, deletion of those, and information from the archive of the same register/office;
A brief description of his/her strategic vision for the airBaltic over the next 3-5 years, as well as outlining own priorities and approach for his/her first 90 days in office. The description should be submitted in English (maximum 1000 words).