airBaltic's Estonian unit added to consumer protection blacklist

Estonia's Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) placed airBaltic's Estonian unit on its blacklist on July 13. The reason is that the airline failed to comply with a decision by the Consumer Disputes Committee regarding compensation for passengers.

The dispute arose from delayed baggage. Three travelers flying from Tenerife to Tallinn on January 1 received their suitcase only on January 3. Since the bag contained clothing and toiletries, they purchased new items and submitted a compensation claim for 1,540 euros. airBaltic rejected it, citing its own rules limiting compensation to 10 euros per passenger per day for up to four days – a total of 120 euros. The airline also argued that some purchases were not necessary.

The Consumer Disputes Committee disagreed with the limit, referring to the Montreal Convention, which holds carriers liable for damages caused by baggage delay unless they prove they took all reasonable measures. The committee found that airBaltic did not provide such evidence. However, the committee did not deem the entire claim justified. Given that the passengers were back in Estonia, where they had access to essential items, it awarded 214 euros for clothing and toothbrushes, but not for beauty products.

The TTJA blacklist listing remains until the decision is complied with, but for no longer than one year.

airBaltic's group revenue last year reached 779.344 million euros, up 4.2% from 2024. Its loss narrowed 2.7 times to 44.337 million euros. The Latvian state owns 88.37% of shares, Lufthansa 10%, Aircraft Leasing 1 1.62%, and others 0.01%. Share capital stands at 41.819 million euros.