airBaltic Airbus A220-300 Flight From Brussels To Tallinn Via Riga – Trip Report

On Saturday 16 November 2024, I had the pleasure of flying on an airBaltic Airbus A220-300 regional jet operating a scheduled flight from Brussels to Riga, immediately followed by a connecting flight from Riga to Tallinn, also operated by airBaltic and one of their Airbus A220-300 regional jets. The next day, on Sunday 17 November 2024 I flew back from Tallinn to Brussels onboard another airBaltic Airbus A220-300 regional jet operating a direct nonstop flight between the two cities.

Here is my detailed trip report, so you can relive these three airBaltic flights between Brussels, Riga and Tallinn. So fasten your seatbelt, put the table in front of you in the upward position and enjoy this trip report.

 

Preparations

My plan to visit the Baltic states wasn’t exactly brand new. Back in early 2023 I had already made some basic plans and preparations to book flights with airBaltic, after I discovered some very interesting rates for a return trip with airBaltic to Tallinn. Unfortunately it took a while before I could confirm my travel plans and by then, ticket rates had already gone up and nearly doubled in price. As a result I decided to shelve my plans for a trip to the Baltics in 2023.

Why Tallinn, you might say? Well, as it often goes, at a certain evening and for a completely unknown reason, a magnificent picture of Tallinn’s Old Town popped up on my computer screen while browsing the internet and it immediately caught my attention. I was quite impressed and decided to do some some research to see how and when I could visit Tallinn and make my first ever trip to the Baltic states.

As an added bonus, I had never flown airBaltic before, nor had I ever flown on an Airbus A220-330 (or Bombardier CSeries CS300 as this type of regional jet was known before Airbus rebranded the popular Bombardier CSeries after acquiring a controlling share in a joint venture with Bombardier). So eventually this trip looked quite promising: flying an airline I’ve never flown before, on an aircraft type I’ve never flown before, to a destination I’ve never been before.

Fast forward to early 2024. In late January 2024 I decided to take my chances again and see if I could draft a flight itinerary with airBaltic for a short visit to Tallinn at interesting flight ticket rates. I visited the airline’s website again, and I after checking their flight schedule for winter season 2024 it appeared I could to fly to Tallinn in November 2024. On Wednesday 31 January 2024 I decided that I really didn’t want to miss the opportunity again, so after checking my own agenda and the flight itinerary one last time, I finalised my reservation for three flights with airBaltic (from Brussels to Tallinn via Riga and back from Tallinn to Brussels) in Economy Class (or ‘Green’ as airBaltic called their basic Economy Class when I made the booking) at a price of EUR 185,98. 

Unfortunately airBaltic’s ‘Green’ ticket fare did not include a piece of checked baggage nor did it include a piece of cabin baggage. It also did not include free seat selection, but all of these items were of course available for purchase at time of reservation at an additional cost. I added one piece of cabin baggage for all three flights for EUR 18,88 and also made seat reservations for all three flights for EUR 25,82. Hence total cost, including one piece of cabin baggage and seat selection for all three flights was EUR 230,68.

So, after I had finalised my booking on Wednesday 31 January 2024, this is how my itinerary from Brussels to Tallinn and back looked like:

 

Day	Flight	Origin	STD	Destination	STA	Aircraft Type
16NOV2024	BT602	BRU	09:50	RIX	13:10	BCS3
16NOV2024	BT315	RIX	13:50	TLL	14:40	BCS3
17NOV2024	BT851	TLL	17:05	BRU	18:40	BCS3

 

Few days later I also booked a one night stay in the Nunne Boutique Hotel in a standard room or, as the hotel calls it, a ‘Classic Nunne Double Room’. The Nunne Boutique Hotel is located quite conveniently in the Old Town of Tallinn and is within walking distance of many interesting places in Tallinn’s Old Town such as Viru Gate, the Hellemann Tower, Tallinn’s City Wall and of course the magnificent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

 

Seat Reservation Update

A few days after I finalised my reservation, I started to have second thoughts of the seats I had selected for each of the three flights. After doing some online research and giving it some thought, I decided that I wanted to change the seat selection for each flight. For the flights from Brussels to Riga and from Tallinn to Brussels, I decided to move one row forward. For the flight from Riga to Tallinn I decided that I wanted to sit on the right hand side of the cabin instead of the left hand side (on the left hand side I would probably be facing the Sun).

I retrieved my booking on the airBaltic website, but for an unknown reason it was impossible to change the seat selection directly via my booking page. Therefore, on Monday 5 February 2024 I contacted the airBaltic Customer Care department via a form on the airline’s website and informed them of my change request. Less than one hour later, I already received a reply via email of one their agents, confirming that my booking was updated as requested, free of charge.

Here is an overview of the original seat selection and the updated seat selection:

 

Day	Flight	Booked Seat	Updated Seat
16NOV2024	BT602	06A	05A
16NOV2024	BT315	10A	20F
17NOV2024	BT851	06A	05A

 

 

Flight Schedule Change

On Wednesday 20 March 2024 I received an email from airBaltic to inform me that my flight schedule had changed. After reading the email subject line ‘IMPORTANT change in your flight schedule’ I got a bit worried. I thought that there would be a very significant change to my flight itinerary and that my plans for a short visit to Tallinn would be ruined.

Fortunately, when reading the entire email, it became obvious that there had only been a minor flight schedule change. In fact, the flight from Tallinn to Brussels had been rescheduled from an STD (scheduled time of departure) of 17:05 to a new STD of 16:45. So eventually, nothing to really worry about.

The email from airBaltic also stated that I needed to either accept the announced flight schedule change or review other options online. I did not really mind the minor schedule change, so on Monday 1 April 2024 I accepted the schedule change and one minute later I got a confirmation from airBaltic via email.

This is how my updated itinerary from Brussels to Tallinn and back to Brussels looked like after the schedule change:

 

Day	Flight	Origin	STD	Destination	STA	Aircraft Type
16NOV2024	BT602	BRU	09:50	RIX	13:10	BCS3
16NOV2024	BT315	RIX	13:50	TLL	14:40	BCS3
17NOV2024	BT851	TLL	16:45	BRU	18:20	BCS3

 

 

About airBaltic

airBaltic is the national airline of Latvia. The airline’s head office is located at Riga International Airport, which also is the airline’s main hub. However, the airline also has additional bases in Tallinn, Vilnius and Tampere and it even has a seasonal base in Gran Canaria. Founded in 1995, the airline has grown into the leading carrier in the Baltic region, connecting passengers to over 70 destinations across Europe, the Middle East and the CIS. It operates a modern and uniform fleet of fifty Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

airBaltic was established on August 28, 1995, as a joint venture between the Latvian state and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), with operations commencing in October of the same year using a Saab 340. In the early 2000s, the airline expanded its fleet with Fokker 50 turboprops and Boeing 737s, solidifying its position as the leading carrier in the Baltic region. Following SAS’s exit in 2009, the Latvian government became the majority shareholder, leading to a restructuring and modernization process. A major turning point came in 2016, when airBaltic became the launch customer for the Bombardier CS300 (now Airbus A220-300), marking a shift to a single-type, fuel-efficient fleet. Since then, airBaltic has grown into one of Europe’s most punctual and innovative carriers, focusing on connecting the Baltics with major hubs across Europe and beyond.

In 2023, airBaltic achieved its strongest financial performance to date, reporting a record net profit of  EUR 34 million. This marked a significant turnaround from a  EUR 54 million loss in 2022, reflecting the airline’s successful recovery and growth strategy. The carrier also recorded its highest-ever annual revenue of €668 million, representing a 34% increase compared to the previous year. airBaltic transported 4.5 million passengers in 2023, a 36% year-on-year rise, while the total number of flights operated grew by 30% to 65,500. These results highlight airBaltic’s strengthened position in the European aviation market, supported by increasing demand, an expanding fleet, and improved operational efficiency.

 

		2023	2022	Change (%)
Revenue	€m	668	500	+34%
EBITDAR	€m	159	83	+92%
Profit / loss	€m	34	-54	+163%
Passengers	m	4.5	3.3	+36%
Total flights (scheduled + wet-lease)	k	65.5	50.4	+30%

_{source: airbaltic.com}

 

Ever since its establishment in 1995, airBaltic has operated a diverse range of aircraft, reflecting its evolving business model and regional ambitions. As already mentioned, the airline began flight operations with a single Saab 340.  In early 1996 and early 1997 two additional Saab 340 aircraft joined the fleet. These three Saab 340 turboprops were soon complemented by ten Fokker 50 aircraft to meet growing demand for regional flights across the Baltics and neighboring countries. In the early 2000s, airBaltic introduced larger Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 aircraft to expand its network and serve medium-haul destinations across Europe and the CIS. In 2010 the airline also introduced the Bombardier DHC-8-400 into its fleet. Eventually the airline would operate twelve of the type. A major shift occurred in 2016 when airBaltic became the global launch customer for the Bombardier CS300 (now Airbus A220-300), initiating a fleet modernization strategy focused on efficiency and sustainability. By 2020, airBaltic had fully retired its fleet of Boeing 737 and Bombardier DHC-8-400 aircraft, transitioning to an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet. At moment of writing the airline operates one of the youngest fleets in Europe, with fifty Airbus A220-300 aircraft and plans to expand to hundred aircraft by the end of the decade.

 

About The Airbus A220

The Airbus A220, originally developed as the Bombardier CSeries, is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine airliners designed for the 100 to 150-seat market. Initially launched by Bombardier Aviation, the program sought to challenge the dominance of smaller aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. Bombardier officially launched the CSeries program on 22 February 2008 when the company’s Board of Directors authorized formal sales proposals to airline customers. Despite its technological advancements – including a lightweight composite structure, advanced aerodynamics, and fuel-efficient Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines – high development costs and limited early sales led Bombardier to seek a partner. In 2017, Airbus acquired a majority stake in the program, renaming it the Airbus A220 in 2018. This strategic move provided the aircraft with Airbus’s global sales and support network, leading to a significant increase in orders.

Today, the Airbus A220 has found success with a range of operators, particularly in Europe and North America. One of the most prominent airlines using the aircraft is indeed airBaltic, operating a fleet of fifty Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The aircraft’s efficiency, range, and passenger comfort have allowed airBaltic to streamline operations by replacing its older Boeing 737 and Bombardier DHC-8-400 aircraft. The airline uses its Airbus A220-300 aircraft for a mix of short- and medium-haul routes across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, capitalizing on the jet’s fuel efficiency and lower operational costs.

Despite its technological advancements, the Airbus A220 has faced some challenges, particularly concerning its Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines. The geared turbofan engines, while significantly improving fuel efficiency and noise reduction, have encountered durability issues. Operators have reported problems such as premature wear of engine components, leading to unplanned maintenance and aircraft groundings. Pratt & Whitney has worked to address these issues through updates and redesigns, but supply chain constraints have slowed the availability of replacement parts. Several airlines, including airBaltic, have had to adjust schedules and lease additional aircraft to mitigate the impact of these engine-related disruptions. For instance, in early 2025 airBaltic announced that it was forced to cancel 4.670 flights from all its bases for the summer season 2025. The airline needed to cancel 19 routes and reduce frequencies on 21 others across its bases. According to the Latvian airline, these cancellations were a direct result of unexpected delays and prolonged engine maintenance by its supplier Pratt & Whitney.

Nevertheless, at moment of writing Airbus and Pratt & Whitney continued to work on long-term solutions and the Airbus A220 remains a critical part of many airlines’ fleets.

 

airBaltic BT602 BRU-RIX

On Monday 11 November 2024, five days before my first two scheduled flights with airBaltic (from Brussels to Riga and from Riga to Tallinn), I already received an email from airBaltic, to inform me that I could already check in for these two flights. I was quite surprised, since most airlines (at least the airlines that I know of) only allow online check in between 48 to 24 hours before the flight. Unfortunately it was impossible to also check in online for my third airBaltic flight (from Tallinn back to Brussels on Sunday 17 november 2024). It turned out I would have to wait one more day to check in for that flight.

Anyway, I did not hesitate and clicked on the ‘check in here’ button. Few moments later I had retrieved my booking and was checking in for the two flights. For the flight from Brussels to Riga I noticed that the airBaltic check in system did not check me in on my selected seat 05A. Hence I did not have a choice but to either pay (again) for the selected seat 05A, or choose a free seat elsewhere in the cabin. After giving it some thought I decided to pay again for a seat, but eventually I did not select seat 05A but opted for seat 06A instead.

Fortunately the remainder of the check in procedure was much less of a problem. I was able to finalise the check in for the Brussels-Riga flight without any problem and also checked in for the connecting flight from Riga to Tallinn without any issues (including my selected seat 20F). Few moments later I retrieved my two boarding passes from the airBaltic website. As most airlines nowadays, airBaltic allows you to store your boarding passes in your Apple Wallet, an iOS app on Apple iPhone and Apple Watch that allows you to securely and conveniently organise your credit and debit cards, tickets and boarding passes.

 

On the early morning of Saturday 16 November 2024, I was all packed and ready to fly to Tallinn via Riga. ‘Baltics, here I come!’

I left home at around 07:30 and took the 07:56 train from my hometown to Brussels Airport. After a short but smooth and uneventful train ride I arrived at Brussels Airport at around 08:08. My flight was planned to leave at 09:50 so this gave me nearly two hours to pass the security check, make a quick stop at the airport Panos sandwich bar to get a second breakfast and relax a bit before making my way to the gate.

I had already checked in online so I proceeded immediately to the security inspection. After I passed the security inspection (which went smooth and fast as it seemed that there weren’t many departures that time of the day), I continued my way through the Connector building, which connects the airport’s main terminal with Pier A (or ‘Concourse A’) – mainly used for Schengen flights – and Pier B (or ‘Concourse B’) – mainly used for non-Schengen flights such as flights to North America and Asia. One of the main eyecatchers of the Connector building is a large model of Tintin’s Moon rocket.

At around 08:40 I stopped at the Panos sandwich bar and bought something to eat and drink. I took a seat near the windows offering a panoramic view of the Brussels Airport tarmac, including Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A220-300 HB-JCD which was being prepared by ground, cabin and flight crew members to operate flight LX791 from Brussels to Geneva.

After a healthy second breakfast I left the Panos sandwich bar and made my way to Gate A58, the departure gate for my first airBaltic flight from Brussels to Riga, where I arrived at 09:00. Usually I try to take some photos of my aircraft parked at the gate, but for some reason I decided not to take any photos this time.

At 09:20 (right on schedule) a gate announcement was made and passengers seated between rows 4 and 31 were requested to make their way to the gate and board the aircraft. I made my way to the gate agent, scanned my digital boarding pass (stored in my Apple Wallet) and showed my ID card. The gate agent wished me a nice flight and I continued my way to the jetway connecting the gate with the aircraft.

The aircraft operating today’s flight BT602 from Brussels to Riga was airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABJ (msn 55165). According to airfleets.net this aircraft made its first flight exactly two and a half years ago, on 16 May 2022 and was delivered to airBaltic less than two weeks later, on 27 May 2022. The delivery of YL-ABJ also marked the arrival of airBaltic’s 36th Airbus A220-300. It was also the fourth Airbus A220-300 being delivered to the airline that year (out of eight scheduled deliveries).

Like most of airBaltic’s fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft, Airbus A220-300 YL-ABJ is equipped with 148 economy class seats in a five-abreast (2-3) configuration. As usual nowadays on intra-European narrow body flights, the airline’s Business Class is sized dynamically (seats C and E are not sold in Business Class) and a class divider curtain will move forward or backward, based upon demand. The aircraft is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines, a high-bypass geared turbofan produced by Pratt & Whitney.

I boarded the aircraft and received a warm welcome from the cabin crew members. I continued my way to my seat for this first flight of the day, seat 06A. I put my trolley and my jacket in the overhead lockers (there was still plenty of free space left). After I sat down in my seat, I was immediately surprised by the legroom. It had been a few months since my last flight (a flight with Brussels Airlines from Stockholm to Brussels) but I remember that I did not have as much legroom as I did on this flight. Good job, airBaltic!

 

The economy seat felt really comfortable and, as already mentioned, offered plenty of legroom (initially I thought this was because I had a seat in front of the cabin, but later during the flight I would take a seat in the aft section of the cabin in a seat offering similar legroom). I immediately noticed the two small seat pockets instead of one large seat pocket. One would think that this offers less room to store your personal items, but it seemed this was not the case. On the contrary, these two small seat pockets seemed better suited as it is more convenient to organise your personal items. The seats did not offer an inflight entertainment (‘IFE’) system but I did not mind since I usually use my own device for watching movies, TV series or listening to music or my favourite podcast show while flying.

 

Another thing I immediately noticed, were the small screens mounted in the cabin ceiling, close to the passenger air conditioning outlets and reading lights. These small screens are used for displaying the airline’s safety demonstration video before departure as well as the Airshow moving map, connecting flights information and other commercial and operational announcements by the crew. Very convenient, I have to admit.

 

The aircraft for today’s flight from Brussels to Riga did not have any onboard wifi, even though airBaltic had already announced in early 2023 that it would equip its entire fleet with SpaceX’s Starlink internet connectivity system. So eventually every airBaltic passenger will benefit from complimentary, inflight high-speed internet without hassles or login pages. Can’t wait to check this out, but unfortunately I would not be able to SpaceX’s Starlink on this flight.

 

Boarding was completed in fifteen minutes and at 09:35 one of the cabin crew members made the announcement ‘boarding completed’. The load factor seemed to be quite good for a weekend flight (about 85% I would say) but there were still some empty seats left. As I was seated on a window seat at the left side of the cabin, the seat next to me was an aisle seat and another passenger was sitting in it during boarding. However, as soon as the ‘boarding completed’ announcement was made, this passenger stood up and moved to another seat, closer to what appeared to be one of his friends. I did not mind of course, since this gave me even additional legroom. Another win, yay!

Few moments later, the doors of our Airbus A220-300 were closed and we were welcomed by the Captain, who gave us some more information on the flight such as the weather enroute, the weather in Riga and the expected flight time of one hour and fifty-five minutes. At 09:41 (i.e. nine minutes before our scheduled departure time of 09:50) we pushed back from stand 158 at Brussels Airport with the nose of the aircraft pointing towards the east. During pushback the flight crew started the two Pratt & Whitney PW1521G geared turbofan engines. Following two successful engine starts, the flight crew ran through the before taxi checklist, including a check of the primary flight control surfaces.

As our flight crew made final taxi preparations, several aircraft overtook us, including Brussels Airlines Airbus A320-214 OO-SNK operating flight SN2581 BRU-BER, Brussels Airlines Airbus A320-214 OO-TCH operating flight SN3771 BRU-ALC and Qatar Airways Boeing 777-F A7-BFU operating flight QR8445 BRU-DOH.

At 09:47 air traffic control gave us clearance to taxi to RWY 25R via taxiways INN-4, INN-5, INN-6 and B3. The pilot flying gently advanced the thrust levers and our Airbus A220-300 started to move. About eight minutes later we arrived at RWY 25R and we were given instructions to hold short as another aircraft was departing, in this case Lufthansa Airbus A321-231 D-AIDB operating flight LH1007 BRU-FRA. After the Lufthansa flight took off, ATC cleared us to enter the active runway and takeoff from RWY 25R. The pilot flying aligned our aircraft with the runway axis (244°). Few seconds later the pilot flying had controls and advanced the two thrust levers. Our two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines spooled up, takeoff thrust was set and at 09:56 our Airbus A220-300 accelerated. We rolled down the runway and less than a minute later we rotated from RWY 25R. “Goodbye, Belgium!”

Our flight gained altitude and I was expecting that, after reaching an altitude of 700 feet AMSL, we would make a right turn towards the north. However, our flight continued to maintain runway heading for a few more moments and at an altitude of around 1.700 feet AMSL our Airbus A220-300 banked to the left and set course towards the southeast. Later that day I checked via Flightradar24.com that airBaltic flight BT602 to Riga is almost always assigned a standard instrument departure (SID) towards the southeast instead of one towards the north (e.g. the NIK3G SID) as is the case when flying to e.g. Copenhagen, Bergen or Amsterdam.

Climb thrust was set and we made a gentle turn towards the southeast while enjoying some scenic views of Brussels Airport. Three minutes after we began our takeoff roll on RWY 25R, we entered the low clouds which had been hiding the sun in Belgium for many days. Few moments later we broke through the clouds and for the first time in quite a while I could finally enjoy some sunshine and crips blue skies. We gained altitude and our regional jet was gradually being cleaned up by retracting the flaps and slats while also increasing speed.

Less than ten minutes after departure we had reached FL100. We continued our climb while making another gentle left turn to continue our flight in an easterly direction. At 10:08 we had already reached FL200 and were flying abeam the Dutch city of Maastricht, most probably known in the aviation industry for Maastricht Aachen Airport and Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) which handles upper airspace between FL245 and FL660 over Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and north-west Germany. Today’s flight from Brussels to Riga seemed to be avoiding Dutch airspace.

After we reached the German border, our flight was cleared to a northeasterly direction and we set course towards Cologne, while passing FL260. In the meantime the cabin crew members had closed the Business Class curtains and were ready for the inflight service. Even though airBaltic had sent me several reminders via email to pre-order a meal for my three flight, I did not pre-order anything, nor did I buy anything to drink or to eat from the inflight menu. I did not ask for a cup of still water (I did this few years ago on a Finnair flight operated by Norra and eventually had to pay for water).

As already mentioned, airBaltic did not offer any onboard wifi (not than I’m a big fan anyway, I like to be disconnected from the rest of the world during a flight) nor did it offer any kind of inflight entertainment. Admittedly, most passengers nowadays bring their own inflight entertainment system with them on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, so why would an airline continue to invest in heavy and expensive entertainment systems for their short or medium haul network? Even more, for me personally the best inflight entertainment is still the magnificent outside view from an aircraft window.

At 10:22 we reached our top of climb (TOC) and began our cruise at an altitude of FL350. I continued to enjoy the outside views (especially the blue skies that I had missed for so many days while being on the ground in Belgium). We continued our flight in a northeasterly direction. About twenty minutes later, at 10:44 I looked outside (once again) and noticed another aircraft flying towards us, producing some nice contrails. Few seconds later the aircraft passed underneath us in a southeasterly direction. It seemed to be an Emirates Boeing 777 but I wasn’t too sure. Later I found out it was indeed Emirates Boeing 777-31H(ER) A6-ECJ operating flight EK220 MCO-DXB and flying 2.000 feet below us at an altitude of FL330. We were flying for about fifty minutes while the Emirates flight had been airborne for more than eight hours and still had five and a half hours to go before reaching Dubai.

Five minutes later we had almost reached the German coast and the crew had finished their inflight service. I decided it was time to explore the aircraft cabin of this Airbus A220-330 to see how the load factor was and to see if there were any free seats left in the back of the aircraft for making some videos. Most seats were occupied but there were still some free seats left in the back of the cabin.

First however I made a quick visit to the toilet in the back of the cabin. The toilet was very clean and tidy and it had all the typical aircraft toilet amenities one can expect. After my sanitary break I did find a free window seat in one of the last rows in the back of the cabin for making some more videos. Few moments later I went back to my seat and continued to enjoy the outside view and watch some videos on my iPad.

During the entire flight I couldn’t help but noticing that every now and then our aircraft made very subtle rolls towards the left and right, as if the flight crew was adjusting our heading with a few degrees. I cannot recall noticing this on any previous flight I have been on, so I am not sure if it was either real to begin with, or something either related to the Airbus A220 (remember, this was my very first flight on the type), airBaltic’s SOP (not sure why this would be the case) or something related to this flight (maybe ATC gave specific instructions e.g. to avoid traffic, or maybe our flight crew was avoiding areas of expected clear air turbulence).

 

At 11:28 there was a new PA announcement by the flight crew, who informed the passengers that landing was expected in about thirty minutes. Few moments before this PA announcement, the small overhead screens also began to display useful gate information for passengers with connecting flights in Riga, including info on my flight BT315 from Riga to Tallinn which would be departing Riga International Airport at 13:50 from gate B6.

We were still cruising high above a dense layer of low clouds, but I did not mind as I continued to enjoy a nice view of the surrounding blue skies, a view that I had missed for far too long. Few minutes later, at 11:30 we had almost reached the Latvian coastline and our top of descent (TOD). Thrust was reduced and our two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines spooled down as we began our descent into Riga International Airport. Less than ten minutes later we passed FL200 and we continued our descent over Latvia (still invisible due to the low clouds). The cabin crew prepared the cabin and checked if all passengers were ready for landing by making the usual checks i.e. making sure that the tray tables were stowed, the window blinds were up, all passenger seats were upright and that all passengers had put on their seatbelt.

At 11:45 we continued our descent into Riga. The flight crew reduced our speed by extending the speed brakes and had already extended the slats and flaps while still flying over the dense layer of low clouds. About one minute later we finally entered the clouds. Bye bye Sun! Since the slats and flaps were already extended, I assumed that our altitude was sufficiently low so I was eager to finally catch my first glimpse of Latvian soil. About one minute later and while still descending in the layer of clouds, our Airbus A220-300 made a right turn to get ourselves lined up for landing on RWY 18 at Riga International Airport. The gear was extended and flaps were increased. We finally broke through the clouds and I got my first glimpse of Latvia.

 

At 11:51 CET / 12:51 EET (Latvian local time)  we landed on RWY 18 after a bumpy approach. Spoilers were extended and also brakes and thrust reversers were used to reduce our speed. We vacated RWY 18 via TWY Y and as the flight crew retracted the spoilers, flaps and slats we taxied to our assigned remote stand via TWY F, TWY V and TWY W.

At 11:55 CET / 12:55 EET (Latvian local time), fifteen minutes before our scheduled arrival time of 13:10 (EET), airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABJ arrived at remote stand 313, located just north of the main terminal building at Riga International Airport. The aircraft came to a complete stop, the parking brake was set, the two engines were shut down and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off. We were parked just next to airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABS which had arrived from Berlin less than two hours earlier after operating flight BT212 BER-RIX and which would not operate any other flights that day (next flight for this aircraft was BT135 RIX-CPH on Sunday 17 November 2024).

 

The aircraft boarding stairs were connected to our aircraft and the cabin door was opened. Passengers stood up, packed all their personal belongings and got ready to leave the aircraft. My first flight on an Airbus A220 regional jet (and also my first flight with airBaltic, as well as my first flight to the Baltics) had almost come to an end.

As I had a connecting flight to catch and we were parked at a remote stand, I decided not to wait until most other passengers had left the aircraft and ask if I could visit the flight deck for a quick chat with the flight crew members, but instead I took all my personal belongings, thanked the flight crew and cabin crew for the good service and immediately disembarked the aircraft. Local ground support services had already put a few buses next to our aircraft so after a few photos of airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABJ parked at Riga International Airport, I made my way to the first passenger bus. The bus doors were closed and passengers were taken via the tarmac to Schengen Arrival E1. Fortunately the bus ride to the terminal did not take very long so I still had plenty of time for my connecting flight from Riga to Tallinn.

 

 

airBaltic BT315 RIX-TLL

My first experience with airBaltic as well as the Airbus A220-300 was quite a success and I was impressed by both the airline and the aircraft type. Fortunately, I did not have to wait very long for my second flight with an airBaltic Airbus A220-300.

After I arrived at Riga International Airport’s main terminal building, I followed the signs for connecting passengers. Thanks to the information displayed on the small overhead screens during my flight from Brussels to Riga, I knew that my connecting flight would leave from gate B6.

I continued my way to the departures zone situated in Terminal B and, after a quick restroom break, I arrived at gate B6 at around 13:15 Latvian local time (EET / CET+1 / UTC+2). I began to realise that I had to consider myself lucky that my first flight from Brussels to Riga was not delayed and arrived in Riga on schedule.

At 13:25 there was a gate announcement that boarding for airBaltic flight BT315 from Riga to Tallinn would begin soon. It appeared that there would not be any boarding in groups today. I began to queue like all other passengers and few moments later boarding started. In no time I had my boarding pass and ID card checked before making my way to the aircraft.

The aircraft operating today’s flight BT315 from Riga to Tallinn was airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABR (msn 55240). According to airfleets.net this aircraft was fairly young as it had been delivered to airBaltic on 1 September 2024.

Just like the other Airbus A220-300 I had flown on (as well as most of airBaltic’s other fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft), Airbus A220-300 YL-ABR was equipped with 148 economy class seats in a five-abreast (2-3) configuration). The aircraft also featured the class divider curtain that can move forward or backward, based upon demand. The aircraft was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines.

 

After boarding I received a warm welcome from the cabin crew members. On the first flight I had seat 06A located on the left side of the aircraft (2 seats) and more or less in front of the cabin. This time I had opted for seat 20F, located on the right side of the aircraft (3 seats) and a bit more in the back of the cabin. I put all my personal belongings in the overhead lockers and sat down. It appeared that seat pitch was the same when compared to seat 06A on my previous flight. Well done again, airBaltic!

My economy seat featured (again) the two small seat pockets instead of one large seat pocket. During my first flight of the day I already discovered that this is in fact more convenient than one might think at first, since you are able to organise your personal belongings in a more convenient way. As expected, my seat did not offer an inflight entertainment (‘IFE’) system and it seemed that this aircraft was also not (yet) equipped with onboard wifi.

Few moments later, a friendly and slightly older couple boarded the aircraft and sat down just next to me. At 13:42 the cabin crew announced that boarding was completed and they continued their preflight preparations. About one minute later we were already kindly welcomed by the Captain who gave us some more information on the flight. He expected that the enroute weather would be fairly good but nevertheless he expected some turbulence during approach into Tallinn because of the clouds. Flight time would be just around 35 minutes.

 

All doors of our Airbus A220-300 were closed and set to automatic. At 13:45 (i.e five minutes ahead of our scheduled departure time of 13:50) we pushed back from stand 106 at Riga International Airport with the nose of our aircraft pointing towards the west. During pushback the flight crew started the two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines. After two successful starts, the flight crew did the usual checks including a check of the primary flight control surfaces. I always love it when the ailerons go up and down, it seems as if the aircraft is making a gently wave.

At 13:50 we were cleared by Ground ATC to taxi to RWY 18 via TWY F and TWY G. The pilot flying advanced the thrust levers and Airbus A220-300 YL-ABR started to move. About five minutes later we arrived at RWY 18 and we were given instructions to hold short as there was another aircraft on final approach. Few seconds later I looked through my window and noticed Lufthansa Airbus A320-214 D-AIZC landing on RWY 18 after operating flight LH890 FRA-RIX.

After the Lufthansa Airbus had landed and vacated the active runway, air traffic control cleared us to enter the active runway and takeoff. The pilot flying aligned our aircraft with the runway axis and few seconds later, at 13:57, our two Pratt & Whitney PW1524G geared turbofan engines spooled up, takeoff thrust was set and our Airbus A220-300 accelerated. After a rather short takeoff roll, we rotated from RWY 18 at Riga International Airport. “Goodbye Riga, goodbye Latvia!”.

After takeoff we maintained runway heading for about two minutes, but it did not take that long to enter the low clouds again. Shortly after we entered the clouds, our aircraft made a 180 degree left turn towards the north. During this turn we broke through the clouds again and were greeted once again by the Sun and crisp blue skies. Unfortunately we were also greeted by a member of the cabin crew making a brief but direct PA announcement: “Please remain seated!”. It seems that one (or more) passenger(s) were already standing up. I’ve taken many flights but I’ve never been on a flight where passengers were standing up during a 180 degree turn during initial climbout of an airport. There’s always a first, I guess?

During this initial 180 degree turn, our Airbus A220-300 regional jet was being cleaned up as flaps were retracted and speed was increased. Five minutes after takeoff we were already flying over the city of Riga at and altitude of approximately 9.000 feet. Unfortunately we could not see the city itself due to the layer of low clouds.

 

We kept on climbing while flying over the Gulf of Riga. Less than fifteen minutes after takeoff we reached our cruising level of FL240. By then we had already crossed the border and we were flying in Estonian airspace. As the flight from Riga to Tallinn would not take very long, I decided to remain seated (as opposed to some other passengers shortly after takeoff…) and enjoy the nice views of blue skies while I could, as it seemed that weather would not improve over Estonia.

At 14:15, only five minutes after reaching our top of climb (TOC) and while flying abeam the Estonian city of Pärnu, our flight had already reached its top of descent (TOD). Thrust was reduced and our two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines spooled down as we began our descent into Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport, named after Lennart Meri who was President of the Republic of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. As usual, the cabin crew members prepared the aircraft cabin for landing.

Six minutes later our airBaltic Airbus A220-300 regional jet descended through FL100. We continued to fly in a northeasterly direction to intercept the final approach course for RWY 26 at Tallinn Airport. Few moments later it was time to say goodbye to those blue skies again and at 14:25 we entered the layer low clouds. As we approached the airport, the flight crew reduced our speed by extending the speed brakes and flaps. One minute later we made a left turn and intercepted the final approach course of 261 degrees. The gear was lowered and flaps were gradually set for landing. I finally got to see Estonia.

After a bumpy approach we landed on RWY 26 at 14:33 Estonian local time (EET / CET+1 / UTC+2). Spoilers were extended and brakes and thrust reversers were used to reduce our speed. Instead of taking the first runway exit however, we kept rolling down the runway at a reduced speed, since the main terminal building is located at the far western side of the airport. We vacated RWY 26 at the very end via TWY B. As the flight crew retracted the spoilers and flaps we taxied to our assigned stand at the main terminal building via TWY A.

 

At 14:37 EET, three minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time of 14:40 EET, air Baltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABR arrived at stand M9, located on the northern side of Apron M at the main terminal building of Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport. The aircraft came to a complete stop, the parking brake was set, the two engines were shut down and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off.

The jetway at gate 9 was pulled onto our aircraft and few moments later aircraft cabin door L1 was opened. Passengers stood up, packed their personal belongings and left the aircraft. My second flight of the day with an airBaltic Airbus A220 regional jet had almost come to and end. I thanked the flight crew and cabin crew for the good service and wished them all the best. I disembarked the aircraft and was ready for the Baltics. Hello Tallinn!

 

 

Tallinn

Since I was travelling with only one piece of hand luggage, I did not have to wait for my bags at the baggage reclaim area. I immediately proceeded to customs and immigration (Estonia is a European Union Member State and is also a Schengen Member State) and just a few moments later I was standing in the arrival hall of Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport.

 

As usual, I was well-prepared for my trip so I had anticipated to take a public bus operated by Aktsiaselts Tallinna Linnatransport (TLT) from the airport to the city centre of Tallinn. Hence, after proceeding to the public transport area of the airport I began to look for the correct bus but… I just couldn’t find it. This might have something to do with my lack of knowledge of the Estonian language, lack of sleep or bad signs, but for some reason it did not appear that I was going to take the bus today. Since I only had about 24 hours to spend in Tallinn and it was already past 15:00 in the afternoon , I decided to go back to the arrival hall and just get myself a taxi to the hotel.

Few moments later I was already sitting in a taxi that would bring me to my hotel. During the short drive I talked a bit with my taxi driver who did not mind giving me some additional touristic information during the short drive. Not sure if he was trying to get a big tip or just being friendly, but I appreciated it a lot.

At 15:30 my taxi stopped in front of the Nunne Boutique Hotel where I would spend one night. I paid the taxi driver (including a tip for the short guided tour of course) and entered the lobby of my hotel, located in the Old Town of Tallinn. I was kindly welcomed to Tallinn by the hotel staff and in no-time they checked me in. I was accompanied by one of the staff members to my room and he also explained me some things and even showed me a piece of the Old Town’s city wall running through the hotel.

I kindly thanked the hotel staff member and closed the door of my hotel room. I did not plan to rest for very long as I still wanted to make the most out of my first day in Tallinn. So I freshened up a bit and relaxed for a few moments while grabbing something to drink and to eat from my carry-on suitcase.

After a short rest it was time to explore Tallinn. I left my room and the Nunne Boutique hotel and made my way to Toompea, one of Tallinn’s interesting sites. Toompea is an impressive hill located in the Old Town of Tallinn. It has an area of about 7 hectares and is about 25 meters higher than the surrounding areas. I climbed Toompea via the nearby Patkuli trepp, a set of stairs connecting the lower part of Tallin’s Old Town with the upper part on Toompea. After a short climb I continued my way to ‘Patkuli vaateplatvorm’ (Patkuli viewing platform), one of the many viewing platforms on Toompea, offering stunning panoramic views of Tallinn’s Old Town. I enjoyed the views for a few moments. As dusk began to fall and it was als a bit windy and rainy, I continued my way to the next viewing platform just a few hundred meters away, ‘Kohtuotsa vaateplatvorm’ (Kohtuotsa viewing platform), another viewing platform also offering nice panoramic views of the city of Tallinn.

I continued my walk on Toompea and made my way to the Tallinna Piiskoplik Toomkirik, a Lutheran cathedral church located in the center part of Toompea. It was constructed in the 13th century and is the oldest church in Tallinn and Estonia. It is also the only building on Toompea which survived a fire in the 17th century.

Next I arrived at the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, definitely one of the monumental highlights of Tallinn (for me at least). The Alexander Nevsky cathedral, an impressive Eastern Orthodox cathedral, was built at the end of the 19th century when Estonia was part of the former Russian Empire. It has five onion domes and is richly decorated. I had never seen such an impressive Eastern Orthodox cathedral (I’ve never been to Russia) so I made plenty of photos as I observed the magnificent cathedral from the outside.

 

After the impressive views of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, I left Toompea and made my way back to the lower part of the Old Town of Tallinn. I continued my walk via the Niguliste Museum, an impressive church housing a large Estonian art collection and also offering a viewing platform. I did not visit the museum but continued my way in the Old Town of Tallinn towards Raekoja Plats (the main town square) where the Tallinna Raekoda (Tallinn Town Hall) is located. Workers were making final preparations for the Tallinna Jõuluturg (Tallinn Christmas Market) and were constructing tens of small wooden cabins. Unfortunately my visit of Tallinn was not very well planned as the Christmas market would only open on 21 November 2024.

I did not mind and continued my way to Viru, one of the main streets in the Old Town of Tallinn and where various shops and restaurants are located. I walked to the very end of Viru and also passed Viru Väravad (Viru Gate), one of the old gates to the Old Town of Tallinn and part of the Tallinn city wall built in the 14th century.

As it was already 17:30 I started to feel a bit hungry, so I made my way back to Raekoja Plats via Viru and began to look to a nice restaurant to get something to eat. The Kaerajaan Restaurant seemed to have a nice choice of food and beverages so I decided to have my dinner over there. I ate a delicious piece Salmon and had a local Estonian beer. It doesn’t get much better than this, right?

After a tasteful dinner I started to feel a bit tired after a long day. Nevertheless I extended my exploration of the Old Town of Tallinn for just a bit longer and strolled through some more old cobblestone streets before making my way back to the hotel and calling it a day. My first impression of Tallinn and its Old Town was extremely good. I enjoyed the magnificent cathedrals, churches and other buildings as well as the the charming and relaxing atmosphere of the many cobblestone streets in the Old Town of Tallinn. But now it was time to go to bed. See you tomorrow, Tallinn!

The next morning and after a good night’s sleep, it was time to continue my exploration of Tallinn. After a healthy breakfast I left the Nunne Boutique Hotel at around 09:00 in the morning and made my way again to Toompea via the Patkuli trepp. At ‘Patkuli vaateplatvorm’ I enjoyed once again the beautiful views of Tallinn. The Estonian sky was no longer overcast as the meteorological conditions appeared to be slightly better than the day before. Few moments later I made my way again to the impressive Alexander Nevsky cathedral. As it was ‘golden hour’, the lighting conditions were more favourable than yesterday and I took this opportunity to make some more photos of this magnificent cathedral.

After taking dozens of pictures of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, it was time to continue my exploration of Tallinn. The next stop was the ‘Taani Kuninga Aed’ (Danish King’s Garden), a very charming park in the Old Town of Tallinn. It is said that the flag of Denmark was born here. At Taani Kuninga Aed you can enjoy some nice views of Tallinn and even visit parts of the Old Town’s city wall. Unfortunately it was still closed when I arrived there (I was there at 09:35 and the city wall would only open at 11:00). Nevertheless I enjoyed the views and took some pictures of the city wall as it was still ‘golden hour’ and the lighting conditions were perfect for some nice photos.

 

It was time to leave Toompea so I made my way back to the lower part of the Old Town of Tallinn via Lühike jalg. I passed by the Niguliste Museum again and enjoyed the impressive architecture and cityscapes. Few moments later I arrived at the Harju Street Park where I could spot a nice rainbow in the background. Via Vana-Posti I arrived at an impressive movie theatre called ‘Kino Sõprus’, a magnificent old Soviet era building located in the Old Town of Tallinn. It is the oldest arthouse cinema in Estonia and according to various online sources it is a cinema for true cinema aficionados. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to watch a movie, maybe during my next visit of Tallinn, who knows?

I continued my exploration of the streets of the Old Town of Tallinn and at 10:00 I was already at the Viru Väravad again, one of the old gates to the Old Town of Tallinn. It was cold and there were some distant rain showers, but the sun was out and so were the street merchants, selling flowers and other items at Viru. There was a very relaxing atmosphere and it felt like I could stay there for a few hours. However, I continued my walk in the Old Town of Tallinn. Next stop was ‘Katariina Käik’ (St. Catherine’s Passage), a small historic passage connecting Vene and Müürivahe and definitely another highlight and a real must see whenever you’re in Tallinn.

 

Few moments later I was already standing in front of the Tallinna Raekoda (Tallinn Town Hall) again, located on the Raekoja Plats. I enjoyed the views for a few moments and then continued my way in the Old Town of Tallinn. Via Kullassepa, KuningaSuur-Karja, Väike-Karja Tänav and Sauna I arrived at Viru again, in front of the Viru Väravad. I decided to have a drink in the nearby McDonald’s hamburger restaurant before continuing my way to the next stop, the ‘Hellemanni Torn Ja Linnamüür’ (Hellemann Tower and Town Hall) which would only open at 11:00, just like the Old Town’s city wall at Taani Kuninga Aed.

At 11:00 and after enjoying some refreshments and almost locking myself in the restroom of the McDonald’s restaurant (don’t even dare to ask how I managed to lock myself in the restroom, but let’s say it was not clear how and if I needed to enter a pincode for leaving the restroom), it was time to continue my exploration of Tallinn.

After a few minutes I arrived at the ‘Hellemanni Torn Ja Linnamüür’ (Hellemann Tower and Town Hall) located at Müürivahe and probably one of the best-known highlights of the Old Town of Tallinn. I paid the adult entrance fee of just EUR 4,00 and climbed up the stairs of the medieval construction. The weather was quite OK at the moment so I could enjoy a nice walk on the old city wall.

Twenty minutes later I was already back in the streets of the Old Town of Tallinn and walking towards ‘Paks Margareeta’ (Fat Margaret), a tower in the Old Town of Tallinn and nowadays home to the Estonian Maritime Museum. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to visit this museum, but I did enjoy the lovely views of the tower.

Next stop was a museum that I definitely wanted to visit during my brief stay in Tallinn: the ‘KGB Vangikongid’ (KGB Prison Cells), located at Pagari 1. This museum is located in the basement of a large building in the Old Town of Tallinn and it houses some former prison cells of the KGB, the most important intelligence agency of the Soviet Union. I paid the entrance fee of EUR 9,00 and visited the museum’s permanent exhibition. It goes without saying that I was quite shocked by some of the prisoners’ stories that were on display at the permanent exhibition. I was once again reminded that we should never take our freedom for granted. After my visit I got into a conversation with the friendly lady at the income of the museum. She told me that many years ago her father was arrested by the KGB when he was just walking in the streets of Tallinn. “That’s how everyday life was here in Tallinn and many other places.”, she said. I can hardly imagine how it must have been like to live in Estonia during its occupation by the Soviet Union. Fortunately these days are over, but the current war in Ukraine reminds us every day that the geopolitical situation is very fragile.

 

After my visit of the ‘KGB Vangikongid’ I continued my walk in the Old Town of Tallinn. Eventually I made my way back to Toompea via the Taani Kuninga Aed’ (Danish King’s Garden). I walked back to the Alexander Nevsky cathedral followed by the Patkuli vaateplatvorm, one of the impressive viewing platforms on Toompea. I noticed a very impressive rainbow in the background so made some nice photos of the ‘Oleviste Kogudus’ (St. Olav’s Church).

 

Unfortunately it was time for me to make my way back to the airport. I returned to the Nunne Boutique Hotel via the Patkuli trepp. I picked up my hand luggage and waited for the taxi which I had already ordered at the front desk of the Nunne Boutique Hotel during my check in. At 14:00 my taxi showed up, so I said goodbye to the friendly staff of the Nunne Boutique Hotel. Bye bye Tallinn!

 

airBaltic BT851 TLL-BRU

About twenty minutes later and after an uneventful ride, I arrived back at Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport. I thanked the friendly taxi driver for the ride, paid the fare and made my way to the entry of the airport’s main terminal building. During my short walk I already noticed an unusual visitor at the airport as Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A330-243 MRTT (KC2 Voyager) ZZ343 was parked on the apron of the airport.

 

On Tuesday 12 November 2024 I had received an email from airBaltic, stating that I could already check in for my flight from Tallinn back to Brussels. One day earlier I had also received a similar email from airBaltic for checking in for my first two airBaltic flights, so I was not surprised anymore. Nevertheless, it is still worth noticing that most other airlines (at least the airlines that I know of) only allow online check in between 48 to 24 hours in advance.

I clicked on the button in the email and few moments later I was already checked in for my flight from Tallinn back to Brussels (this time I did get the seat I purchased in advance) and the only thing I still had to do, was retrieving my boarding pass and downloading it to my Apple Wallet, an iOS app on Apple iPhone and Apple Watch that allows you to securely and conveniently organise your credit and debit cards, tickets and boarding passes.

Now let’s go back to Sunday 17 November 2024. My flight to Brussels was scheduled to leave at 16:45, so this gave me sufficient time to relax a bit and get some rest after a busy day in Tallinn. I took some pictures of the departures hall, which also featured an artwork  representing Lennart Meri who was President of the Republic of Estonia from 1992 to 2001 and who the airport of Tallinn got named after.

 

 

The mandatory security inspection went very smooth and before I knew it I was airside. I grabbed my DSLR camera and made some quick photos of the exterior view of the apron at Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport, where I could see Finnair  ATR 72-500 (before operating Finnair flight AY1020, a very short flight from Tallinn to Helsinki), airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-CSA (before operating airBaltic flight BT861 from Tallinn to Paris CDG) and Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A330-243 MRTT (KC2 Voyager) ZZ343 (which would leave Tallinn back at 15:51 local time operating flight RRR2101 TLL-BZZ).

At around 15:00 I arrived at gate 8 where my flight would leave. I decided to take some rest and review the photos I took of Tallinn before flying back to Brussels. Boarding would only start at 16:15 so I still had plenty of time. Unfortunately, time flies fast when you’re having fun, so before I knew it, it was 16:34 and a first boarding announcement was made (slightly later than originally planned). I took all my personal belongings and boarded for my evening flight back to Brussels. In the meantime, night had already fallen so it was difficult to see anything outside. On top of that, it had also started to raining a bit.

Few minutes after boarding, most passengers (including me) were standing still in the jet bridge connecting the terminal building to the aircraft. It appeared that for some reason, the ground crew had already begun boarding but the cabin crew was not ready to welcome passengers onboard their aircraft. Eventually it took more than ten minutes before we could board the aircraft, not a very professional way of boarding if you ask me.

Eventually I boarded Airbus A220-300 YL-ABC and immediately proceeded to my seat for the flight back to Brussels, which was seat 05A. As soon as boarding was completed, the doors of our aircraft were closed and set to automatic (i.e. arming the the emergency slide mechanism on the doors). We were kindly welcomed by the Captain, who gave us some more information on the flight such as the expected flight time of two hours and thirty minutes.

At 17:03 (i.e. eighteen minutes behind our scheduled departure time of 16:45) we pushed back from stand M8 at Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport. During pushback the crew started the two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbo fan engines. After two successful engine starts, the flight crew ran through the before taxi checklist. I tried once again to look outside but it was almost impossible to see anything because of the darkness and the rain showers.

Few moments later we began taxiing towards RWY 26 via taxiway A. Six minutes later we arrived at RWY 26 and it seems that air traffic control immediately gave us clearance to line up on the runway and takeoff from RWY 26. The pilot flying aligned our aircraft with the runway axis (261°). Few seconds later the pilot flying took controls and advanced the two thrust levers. The two engines spooled up, takeoff thrust was set and at 17:18 our Airbus A220-300 accelerated. We rolled down the runway and few moments later we rotated and took off in the night sky. Bye bye Estonia!

Almost immediately after takeoff our flight made a gentle left turn towards the southeast. Our flight gained speed and altitude. The flight crew members cleaned up our aircraft by retracting the flaps and less than fifteen minutes later we passed FL250 near the coast of Estonia. Unfortunately there wasn’t really anything to see outside as it was pitch black, so there was not much that I could do except for watching another movie on my iPad.

About thirty minutes after takeoff from RWY 26 at Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport we reached our cruising altitude of FL380. At 18:30 Estonian local time (EET / CET+1 / UTC+2) we had already reached Denmark and were cruising near Copenhagen. Unfortunately there still was nothing much to see due to clouds and a pitch black sky. Oh well, back to the iPad I guess.

As already mentioned earlier in this trip report, airBaltic did not offer any onboard wifi (not than I’m a big fan anyway, I like to be disconnected from the rest of the world during a flight) nor did it offer any kind of inflight entertainment. Admittedly, most passengers nowadays bring their own inflight entertainment system with them on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, so why would an airline continue to invest in heavy and expensive entertainment systems for their short or medium haul network? Even more, for me personally the best inflight entertainment is still the magnificent outside view from an aircraft window (unless it is pitch black outside).

Thirty minutes later we had almost reached the Dutch border and our  top of descent (TOD). Thrust was reduced and our two Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines spooled down as we began our descent into Brussels Airport. At 18:26 Belgian local time (CET / UTC+1) we had reached the Belgian border and passed through FL150. We continued our descent over Belgium. The cabin crew prepared the cabin and checked if all passengers were ready for landing. The cabin lights were dimmed as a standard operating procedure.

At 18:33 Belgian local time our Airbus A220-300 captured the localizer for RWY 25L at Brussels Airport. The flight crew reduced our speed and extended flaps and slats. Few moments later the gear was also extended and we were on final approach for RWY 25L at Brussels Airport.

At 18:37 Belgian local time we landed on RWY 25L. Spoilers were immediately extended and the brakes and thrust reversers were also used to reduce our speed. We vacated RWY 25L via TWY C2 and as the flight crew retracted the spoilers, flaps and slats we taxied to our assigned stand via TWY F2, E3, INN-9, INN-8 and R-4.

At 18:44 Belgian local time, twenty-four minutes behind our scheduled arrival time of 18:20, airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-ABC arrived at stand 157L, located on the southern side of Pier A at Brussels Airport. The aircraft came to a complete stop, the parking brake was set, the two engines were shut down and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off. As a coincidence (or not?) we were parked just next to airBaltic Airbus A220-300 YL-CSB which had arrived from Riga just a few moments earlier as flight BT603 RIX-BRU.

Few moments later the jet bridge was connected and the cabin door was opened. Passengers stood up, packed their personal belongings and got ready to leave the aircraft. Unfortunately this moment also marked the end of my short trip to the Baltics with airBaltic and their Airbus A220-300 regional jet. 

 

 

Thank you

I would like to thank airBaltic for a great experience onboard their Airbus A220-300 regional jet. I would also like to thank all flight crew and cabin crew members of who operated my three airBaltic flights for their great service.

17 November 2024