airBaltic seeks to end leases on three Airbus A220s

Latvian national airline airBaltic has asked a US bankruptcy court for permission to end the leases on three Airbus A220-300 aircraft, including one painted in Latvia’s flag colours, LSM reported. The airline says the aircraft are no longer needed and their lease costs exceed current market rates for comparable planes.

The airline filed its request on November 6 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, seeking to end the agreements from November 25. The aircraft are registered as YL-CSN, YL-CSL and YL-CSM.

YL-CSL was painted in Latvia’s flag colours to mark the country’s centenary. The aircraft bodies are at Riga Airport, according to an attachment to the filing. One engine each from YL-CSN and YL-CSM is at a Collins Aerospace facility in Toulouse, France.

The airline’s restructuring adviser told the court that keeping surplus aircraft would create unnecessary costs. The court is scheduled to consider the request on December 9. Objections must be filed by December 2.