RAF-Avia

Not to be confused with Royal Air Force.

RAF-Avia

IATA ICAO Call sign MT MTL MITAVIA
Founded	1990;35 years ago (1990)
Commenced operations	18 July 1991;33 years ago (1991-07-18)
Hubs	Riga International Airport
Fleet size	5
Destinations	18
Parent company	RAF Avia group
Headquarters	Riga, Latvia
Website	www.rafavia.aero

RAF-Avia is a Latvian airline headquartered in Riga ^[1] and based at Riga International Airport. ^[2]

History

The airline was established in 1990 with the purpose of delivering parts and manufacturing materials for the Riga Autobus Factory (RAF). It started operations in 1991. ^[2] In 1994, RAF-Avia began to move into the commercial charter sector. In 1996, it became a private limited company. It is 100% owned by the RAF-Avia group. ^[3]

In August 2016, the airline stationed two aircraft at Frankfurt Hahn Airport to operate ad hoc charter flights. ^[4]

Destinations

RAF-Avia operates cargo services for TNT, DHL and others, as well as transport for the military and the United Nations and passenger charters.^{[ citation needed ]} In late 2015 RAF-Avia announced that it is considering starting regular passenger flights in 2016.^{[ citation needed ]}

Fleet

RAF-Avia Antonov An-26

RAF-Avia Saab 340AF

Current fleet

The RAF-Avia fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of January 2022): ^{[5] [6]}

Aircraft	Total
Antonov An-26	1
ATR 72-200F	2
Saab 340AF	1
Saab 340B	1
Total	5

Former fleet

The RAF-Avia fleet previously included the following aircraft (as of September 2015): ^{[7] [ needs update ]}

• 1 further Antonov An-26

Incidents and accidents

• On 29 October 2014, an RAF-Avia An-26 was guided to Stansted Airport by RAF fighter jets after losing communication with air traffic controllers over southern England. ^[8]
• On 7 January 2019, the SAAB 340B YL-RAF on a positioning flight from Riga to Savonlinna (EFSA, FI) skidded off the runway during landing and was stuck in snow. While there were no injuries, there was damage to the aircraft at both propellers, landing lights and tyres. ^[9]
• On April 26, 2021, an RAF-Avia AN-26 flying from Helsinki to St. Petersburg made an emergency landing at Pulkovo Airport due to a failure of the left engine. The landing was made safely and without casualties. ^[10]
• On February 6, 2024, the SAAB 340A YL-RAL, on wet-lease for Aeroitalia, suffered a failure of the left-hand engine during the initial climb out of Rome Fiumicino. The aircraft returned safely to Rome after a few minutes.

References

1. Home Archived 1 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine . RAF-Avia. Retrieved on 9 September 2010. Vienibas gatve 26A, Riga, LV 1004, Latvia."
2. Flight International 12–18 April 2005
3. Horner, Avril; Zlosnik, Sue (2005), "Introduction", Gothic and the Comic Turn, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 1–18, doi:10.1057/9780230503076_1, ISBN   978-1-349-41556-4 , retrieved 6 July 2022
4. http://www.dvz.de/rubriken/luftfracht/single-view/nachricht/flughafen-frankfurt-hahn-gewinnt-raf-avia-als-kunden.html ^{[ dead link ‍]}
5. "RAF-Avia Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
6. "Cargo Flights | RAF-AVIA" . Retrieved 28 January 2022.
7. "Fleetico | RAF-AVIA".
8. "Sonic boom sounds over Kent after RAF intercept Latvian cargo plane". TheGuardian.com . 29 October 2014.
9. "Accident: RafAvia SF34 at Savonlinna on Jan 7th 2019, runway excursion on landing".
10. "Сегодня в аэропорту Пулково аварийно сел грузовой самолет из Финляндии - 53 Новости". 53news.ru (in Russian). 26 April 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

External links

Media related to RAF-Avia at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website