Business Class Flights to Riga, Latvia

A former state of the Soviet Union, Latvia became an indepenvdent country in 1990. Since that time, tourism has become one of Riga’s largest economic drivers. More than 1.5 million people fly to Riga each year to view its historic architecture, attend cultural and sports events, and visit its museums.

Business class flights to Riga arrive at Riga International Airport (RIX). The largest airport in the Baltic region, Riga International Airport is located about six miles southwest of the city center in the suburb of Marupe. The airport serves more than 5.3 million passengers each year and is a hub for Air Baltic, Ryanair, and Smart Lynx Airlines. Direct flights to Riga are available from more than 70 locations around the world.

Riga is the largest financial center in the Baltic countries, which include Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. The city is home to the main offices of the Bank of Latvia and to the NASDAQ Riga Stock Exchange. Because of its financial district, direct flights to Riga are common for those who work in the financial industry.

Riga is also home to one of the Baltic’s largest ports, Riga Port, which handles more than 34 million tons of cargo each year. Goods such as pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, and raw materials such as wood and metals are exported via Riga’s Port and transported to locations around the world.

The performing arts, especially live music and theater, are very popular in Latvia both among locals and visitors who fly to Riga. The city is home to several large theaters including the Latvian National Opera, built in 1918, which hosts both opera and ballet performances. Riga’s newest theater, the New Riga Theatre, opened in 1992 and is today known for producing high-quality plays.

Riga is home to one of the world’s largest collections of historic architecture from the Art Nouveau period in the late 19th and early 20th centuries consisting of nearly 800 buildings. Tourists who fly to Riga can book walking tours and bus tours that will allow them to see the best examples of this architecture. Some of these buildings include the Riga Art Nouveau Museum, several residential buildings on Albert Street, and the Ministry of Education and Science building.

Students from throughout Latvia and the other Baltic states take cheap flights to Riga to attend one of the city’s several universities. The largest university in the city is the University of Latvia, built in 1919. More than 15,000 students are enrolled in the public university. Other universities in Riga include the Riga Technical University; the Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration; the Riga Graduate School of Law; and the Art Academy of Latvia.

Some of the tourists who fly to Riga come to the city to attend sports events. Basketball is especially popular in the city, which is home three professional teams. Ice hockey and football (soccer) are also popular sports in Riga. The city’s largest sports venue, Arena Riga, was built in 2006 and has a capacity of more than 14,000 people.

Notable people who were born or once lived in Riga include the world-famous ballet dancer and director Mikhail Baryshnikov; professional tennis player Jeļena Ostapenko; award-winning chess player Mikhail Tal; and Andris Nelsons, the conductor and music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.