Low-cost carrier flydubai operated its maiden flight from Dubai International (DXB) to Riga (RIX) late on 14 December, opening the first direct air link between the UAE and Latvia. The thrice-weekly Boeing 737-MAX service departs DXB on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a block time of about six hours.
The route fills a white space in the UAE’s fast-growing European network. Until now, travellers bound for the Baltics faced multi-stop itineraries via Frankfurt or Istanbul, adding both cost and connection risk. Dubai-based logistics firms say the new belly-hold capacity—roughly 15 tonnes per flight—will accelerate e-commerce shipments and time-critical pharma exports moving through Latvia’s FreePort and overland to Estonia and Lithuania.
In an arrival-gate ceremony, Riga Airport CEO Laila Odiņa hailed the flight as “a catalyst for two-way investment,” noting that UAE sovereign funds have been eyeing Baltic renewable-energy assets. Latvian officials confirmed they will open a trade office in Dubai’s DMCC Free Zone early 2026 to court Middle-East capital.
![flydubai inaugurates Riga service, giving UAE firms a non-stop Baltic gateway]()
For expatriates and assignment managers, the biggest win is mobility convenience: UAE nationals already enjoy visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, while Latvian passport-holders qualify for the UAE’s 90-day visa-on-arrival regime. flydubai’s codeshare with Emirates means premium-class travellers can connect seamlessly onto Emirates’ long-haul network, earning Skywards miles and accessing partner lounges.
If you need help sorting out visas or passport renewals on either side of this new route, VisaHQ’s UAE portal offers fast, fully digital processing for Schengen, Latvian and UAE travel documents alike—saving your team from embassy queues. Explore their one-stop solution at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
Companies sending project teams to Northern Europe should review their travel policies; the Riga flight departs DXB at 09:05, allowing same-day onward trains to Vilnius or Tallinn. Return legs reach Dubai just after midnight, syncing with late-night bank reporting cut-offs and next-day GCC meetings.
The route fills a white space in the UAE’s fast-growing European network. Until now, travellers bound for the Baltics faced multi-stop itineraries via Frankfurt or Istanbul, adding both cost and connection risk. Dubai-based logistics firms say the new belly-hold capacity—roughly 15 tonnes per flight—will accelerate e-commerce shipments and time-critical pharma exports moving through Latvia’s FreePort and overland to Estonia and Lithuania.
In an arrival-gate ceremony, Riga Airport CEO Laila Odiņa hailed the flight as “a catalyst for two-way investment,” noting that UAE sovereign funds have been eyeing Baltic renewable-energy assets. Latvian officials confirmed they will open a trade office in Dubai’s DMCC Free Zone early 2026 to court Middle-East capital.
For expatriates and assignment managers, the biggest win is mobility convenience: UAE nationals already enjoy visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, while Latvian passport-holders qualify for the UAE’s 90-day visa-on-arrival regime. flydubai’s codeshare with Emirates means premium-class travellers can connect seamlessly onto Emirates’ long-haul network, earning Skywards miles and accessing partner lounges.
If you need help sorting out visas or passport renewals on either side of this new route, VisaHQ’s UAE portal offers fast, fully digital processing for Schengen, Latvian and UAE travel documents alike—saving your team from embassy queues. Explore their one-stop solution at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
Companies sending project teams to Northern Europe should review their travel policies; the Riga flight departs DXB at 09:05, allowing same-day onward trains to Vilnius or Tallinn. Return legs reach Dubai just after midnight, syncing with late-night bank reporting cut-offs and next-day GCC meetings.
