More than 30 businesses representing the Latvian aviation sector gathered on January 20, 2016, at Riga International Airport to form the Aviation Association of Latvia.
The association has been tasked with strengthening the values of Latvia’s aviation industry; supporting the competitiveness of related businesses in the local and international market; developing human resources for the aviation industry; and engaging industry-related businesses in the planning processes of national aviation policies.
The Aviation Association of Latvia will focus on several key areas of the country’s aviation sector including passenger transportation and tourism, aviation cargo services and infrastructure, aircraft handling and business aviation, aviation research and education, aviation services, manufacture of systems and equipment, and regional aviation and airfields.
Andris Liepiņš, chairman of the board of Riga International Airport, said, “The establishment of a cooperation platform for the aviation industry was one of the airport’s goals which we started to actively pursue last year. In my opinion, a united professional organization will greatly contribute to stronger competitiveness of the Latvian aviation industry.”
According to the survey conducted by Airport Council International (ACI), the aviation industry in Latvia supports 31,500 jobs and accounts for 3.3% of the country’s GDP. Aviation is also one of the main factors for encouraging tourism as 50.3% of foreign tourists arrive by air.