For many foreign tourists, it is the airport that becomes the place from which they begin their acquaintance with the city of arrival. Traveling by plane is, first of all, comfort and high speed over long distances. If you are planning to fly to the capital of Latvia, it will not hurt you to familiarize yourself with useful and up-to-date information on how the Riga airport works and what services it offers.
Brief historical background
Riga International Airport (IATA code - RIX) is located within the Marupe region, 13 km from the center of the capital of Latvia (not far from the old town). The aviation company belongs to the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia.
The construction of the main Riga airport was completed in 1973. At the moment, RIX is the only airport in the city that receives passenger traffic and carries out cargo transportation. This is the answer to the question of how many airports there are in Riga.
Before him, airports in Spilva (today it is operated as an airfield) and Rumbula (now the territory is occupied by a car market) were used for passenger air transportation.
The year 2001 was marked by the completion of the comprehensive modernization of the Riga International Airport, 2006 by the completion of the construction of the northern terminal, 2008 by the completion of works aimed at increasing the length (up to 3.2 km) of the runway.
In 2005, RIX was recognized as the best airport in Europe serving between 1 and 5 million customers a year. In 2009, it was included in the top 100 best airports in the world. Today the passenger traffic here exceeds 7 million people.
Airlines flights served by the airport
RIX is one of the few European airports serving both full service airlines and discounters. In 2021, the base airlines with which Riga International Airport cooperates are:
- AirBaltic (Latvia);
- Ellinair (Greece);
- Finnair (Finland);
- LOT Polish Airlines (Poland);
- Lufthansa (Germany);
- Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norway);
- Ryanair (Ireland);
- Scandinavian Airlines (multinational carrier of the Scandinavian countries);
- SmartLynx Airlines (Latvia);
- Turkish Airlines (Turkey);
- Utair (Russia);
- Uzbekistan Airways (Uzbekistan);
- Aeroflot (Russia);
- Ukraine International Airlines (Ukraine);
- Belavia (Belarus) and others.
From Riga airport you can fly to 31 countries of the three continents. From here, regular flights depart to airports in about 100 cities of the planet (the flight schedule can be found here). Expansion of the geography of flights occurs annually.
Infrastructure features
The terminal has a developed infrastructure that meets European standards. There are reliable lockers, comfortable waiting rooms, separate VIP-class zones, safe parking, cafes, bars, shops, a first aid station, a tourist office, a post office, a business center and even a chapel. But the main part of the establishments included in the airport infrastructure is open only during the day.
Below is a diagram of the Riga airport, according to which you can navigate a tourist who first found himself within its walls.
Riga International Airport terminals
As you can see from the above diagram, there are three terminals in the RIX structure:
- Terminal A - serves flights to countries outside the Schengen area.
- Terminal B - intended for servicing flights to the Schengen states.
- Terminal C - created as an additional to Terminal A, also specializes in serving passengers traveling to countries outside the Schengen area.
Riga airport terminals receive passengers 24/7. But at night, guests' access to the infrastructure is limited - only toilets work.
The Riga air terminal as a whole is small and arranged rather compactly. It is very simple to transfer in it: you can do it on foot. On average, you will have to spend about half an hour if a tourist makes a transfer to the Schengen countries. If it travels outside Schengen, the transfer at Riga airport can take about 40 minutes.
There is a special center for transfer passengers at the airport. His specialization is the provision of services for the registration of clients and their luggage, the provision of reference information.
The center is located within the passenger area between terminals A and B, next to the transit corridor. It works daily from 06.00 to 24.00. The transfer center is closed at night. The transit area at Riga Airport has a waiting room, a business lounge for business class passengers, a children's playroom, cafes and shops.
Security and departure areas
The passenger must arrive at check-in at least 2 hours before departure. It is held at special counters, where each traveler must present an air ticket and passport, on the basis of which he will be issued a boarding pass. You can also register yourself online.
At check-in, the baggage is taken away from the passenger and a baggage tag is pasted on it. After that, you should go to customs control. In the absence of things that need to be declared, the passenger moves along the "green corridor", and if there are any - along the "red" one, after filling out the customs declaration.
Customs is followed by passport control at Riga airport.
Then the passenger goes to the personal belongings inspection area. You need to take a special tray, put your carry-on luggage, shoes, outerwear, gadgets, accessories and jewelry, keys, and go through the metal detector frame. If necessary, airport staff can conduct additional manual searches.
Boarding passes start 30-40 minutes before the flight. To get on your plane, the passenger needs to go to the departure area after the boarding announcement.
Riga airport parking
Riga International Airport offers all its visitors a 24-hour parking service. The building has a guarded parking lot called Park & Fly. You can leave your vehicle there, then take a free bus, which takes passengers to the entrance to the building within one minute. You can also get back to the parking lot by this bus.
There are three zones in the car park:
- Р1 - short-term;
- P2 and P3 are long-term.
The cost of parking within these limits is different. To leave the car in the P1 parking zone for a maximum of half an hour, you will have to pay 1.5 euros, for a day - 28.5 euros. At parking lot P2 the cost of parking per day is 4 euros, and at parking lot P3 - 3.5 euros.
Nearby hotels
There are 3 three-star hotels in the immediate vicinity of the airport:
- Sky-High Hotel (located 600 meters from the airport);
- Best Western Hotel Mara (located 2.1 km from the airport);
- Airport Hotel ABC (located 2.8 km from the building).
According to customer reviews, the prices in these establishments are moderate, you can rent a room with the necessary amenities and a high level of comfort inexpensively. There is no own hotel at the Riga airport.
List of additional services
There is a separate waiting room for passengers traveling in business class. It is located on the second floor. The price for staying in it is 43.5 euros per hour. A prerequisite is the presence of a plane ticket, which is asked to be presented at the time of payment at the entrance.
Here passengers are offered a wide range of publications, snacks and drinks. There is internet and satellite TV. For a fee, travelers who await their flight can borrow a tablet.
There are more than 10 catering points on the territory of the terminal. Among them is the restaurant of the popular Lido chain.
The establishments located in the public area are open from 08.00 to 24.00. In the transit area, they open one hour before the first flight and close immediately after the last one. There are also food vending machines throughout the airport.
Passengers have the opportunity to use the services of Duty Free Riga Airport. These are duty-free shops. Most of them are located within the departure zone.
Among the most popular:
- Duty Free Perfume is an elite cosmetics store.
- BTV-Local Shop is a souvenir shop.
- BTV-Tobacco is a tobacco and smoking accessories store.
- Duty Free Liquor is a shop of elite alcoholic beverages.
In all shops, cafes, restaurants, pharmacies, you can pay both in cash and with a MasterCard bank card. Payment must be made in local currency. If it is not there, there are bank branches and numerous exchange offices at the service of visitors.
But, as practice shows, currency exchange is carried out at an inflated rate, therefore, if possible, it is better to do it directly in the city.
There is also a left-luggage office at Riga Airport, located on the ground floor next to the online check-in counters. A baggage wrapping service is available here. Price - 10 euros per bag.
Throughout the airport there is access to free wireless Internet (Wi-Fi). To enter the network, you need to enter a password. You can find it out in any cafe.
There are play rooms for children, rooms for mothers and children, smoking areas in the building. Car rental service is provided.
Tax Free at Riga International Airport
For travelers who are not citizens of the EU countries and traveling to countries that are not part of the community, there is the possibility of refunding VAT (value added tax), which was paid when purchasing goods in the territory of Latvia.
To issue a tax-free at the Riga airport, you need to present the purchased goods and receipts to the customs officer before the flight. He will stamp the receipts accordingly.
Checks with marks will need to be sent to the outlets where the purchases were made so that they can transfer the amount of tax to the client.
If such goods are in the passenger's luggage, the service agent should be notified. VAT refunds will be processed prior to baggage drop-off.
You can also get a VAT refund directly at the airport using the services of an intermediary, for example, Global Blue Tax Free.
When making a purchase, you need to ask the cashier for the Global Blue application form, fill it out, affix the customs stamp and contact the Global Blue return office to receive cash. The commission will be deducted from the amount due to the client.
What transport can be used to get to / from Riga airport
To get from the city to the airport and vice versa, you can take bus number 22. It departs from the stop located near the parking area P1, every 10-30 minutes every day. It reaches the train station, which is its second final stop.
The first flight is at 05.40, the last one is at 23.30. The driver's ticket costs 2 euros, in vending machines and bureaus located within the arrivals area - 1.2 euros. The price of a multi-entry ticket for a day is 5 euros.
Many travelers are interested in how to get to Riga airport from the bus station. In this case, bus no. 22 is also suitable.
You can get to the city center from the international airport by a branded minibus Airport Express. You can buy a ticket for it both on the website of the airport itself and directly from the driver. The cost is 5 euros.
There are special taxi stands in the building for those who do not want to use public transport. They are located in the arrivals sectors in each of the three terminals.
You can get from Riga airport to the center for an average of 15-20 euros. It will take 10-15 minutes. For comparison, a bus ride takes about 30 minutes.
A taxi transfer can be ordered in advance, on the Internet. Each passenger has the opportunity to independently choose a car suitable for him. At the airport, the driver of the vehicle will meet his client with a nameplate.
Also, bus services are organized from Riga airport to Jurmala and other cities of Latvia. International transfer to Vilnius, Warsaw, Minsk is also possible.
Useful information for travelers
Riga International Airport Address:
Marupe Region, 10/1, LV-1053, Riga, Republic of Latvia.
Email address: [email protected].
Contact phones (for calls from abroad):
- Directorate: +3717207009;
- reference: +37129311187;
- fax: +3717211767.
Those who are on the territory of Latvia can use short telephone numbers to call the airport: 1187 or 1817. It is noteworthy that for Russian-speaking clients the requested information can be provided in the information department in Russian.
Official website: www.riga-airport.com
On the airport's website, you can find information on the procedure for registering passengers and dropping off baggage, refund of value added tax and other services provided in the building, familiarize yourself with the terminal plan and flight schedule. It also provides the possibility of online booking and purchase of tickets for flights of various airlines.
To view the online scoreboard of aircraft departure and arrival at Riga airport, follow the link. Information is updated every 5 minutes.
While waiting for the flight, each passenger has the opportunity to join the excursion group and walk around the airport. The guides talk about the history of the airport terminal, planes and airlines that carry out passenger transportation, the prospects for further modernization and development of the institution.
The tour lasts 1 hour. To find out the exact meeting place, the start time of the walk and the cost, you should contact the help desk or follow this link.
You can see the airport in Riga on the map here.
Conclusions
Riga International Airport is the largest in the Baltics and one of the largest air terminals in Europe. From here, regular flights are carried out within 3 continents: to 31 countries and about 100 cities of the world.
There are three terminals in the building, serving separately for passengers flying to Schengen countries and to non-Schengen countries.
Travelers who are not citizens of EU countries can get VAT refunds from the value of goods purchased at the airport's retail outlets.
The Riga air terminal is equipped with shops, catering establishments, pharmacies, bank branches, currency exchange offices, lockers, waiting rooms, playrooms for children and other infrastructure facilities, which makes your stay within its walls as comfortable as possible.
