Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Riga International Airport (EVRA/RIX) is Latvia's principal international gateway and the largest airport in the Baltic states, lying in Mārupe Municipality about 10 km west of Riga city centre. It offers a single long, ILS-equipped runway and serves as a major hub for airBaltic, making it a busy but straightforward destination for visiting simulator pilots.
Riga International Airport is the main civil airport serving Riga, the capital of Latvia, and is the busiest airport in the Baltic states. It is a state-owned facility, with all shares held by the Latvian government through the Ministry of Transport, and it functions as a hub for airBaltic and RAF-Avia and as a base for Ryanair and Norwegian Air Shuttle. For a sim pilot it presents a large, well-equipped single-runway international airport with a mix of narrow-body airline traffic, business aviation and general aviation movements.
The airport lies in Mārupe Municipality, immediately west of Riga, approximately 10 km from the city centre. As Latvia's principal international airport it sits within controlled airspace associated with Riga's terminal area, with an approach service provided on a dedicated frequency.
Riga has a single physical runway, 18/36, oriented north-south. Runway 18 and Runway 36 are each approximately 10,608 ft and 10,607 ft long respectively (the same paved surface, measured from each threshold), giving a full runway length of around 3,200 m. The runway is hard-surfaced, fully lit, and equipped with ILS on both directions, supporting precision approaches in poor weather.
Pilots should expect the following services: Approach on 129.925 MHz, ATIS on 121.2 MHz, Ground (Riga Ground) on 118.8 MHz, Apron (Riga Apron) on 131.6 MHz, and Tower on 118.1 MHz. The runway is equipped with ILS CAT II, allowing precision approaches to be flown to both 18 and 36 in low visibility conditions.
Riga Airport was built in 1973 as a replacement for the older Spilve Airport, which had become unsuitable for the growing volume of traffic. Ownership has remained with the Latvian state throughout the airport's history, held via the Ministry of Transport. A significant renovation and modernisation programme was completed in 2001 to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the founding of Riga. The passenger terminal was subsequently extended twice, with new north terminal sections opened in 2006 and 2016, and a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility began operating from 2006 as a joint venture between local companies. In 2010 the first dedicated business aviation terminal in the Baltic states opened at the airport. The airport also had a notable long-haul connection when Uzbekistan Airways operated a Tashkent-New York service routing via Riga, first from 1995 and again from 2004 using Boeing 767 aircraft, before the route ended in 2017.
Riga International Airport today operates as the principal hub for airBaltic and for RAF-Avia, and serves as a base for Ryanair and Norwegian Air Shuttle, with a substantial network of scheduled and seasonal destinations across Europe and beyond. The airport is served by a single runway equipped with ILS CAT II, allowing operations to continue in poor visibility. A master plan is in progress covering the construction of a new south pier and a new air traffic control tower, indicating ongoing expansion of airside infrastructure. As a major international airport, general aviation and other visiting traffic should expect to coordinate with air traffic control and be prepared for a busy commercial operating environment.
