Air Baltic announces names of cities to be featured on aircraft

TALLINN - The Latvian national airline Air Baltic, the largest airline company in the Baltic countries, on Friday announced the conclusion of its special voting contest which invited participants to name 48 aircraft of the company's Airbus A220-300 fleet after cities from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.

The 16 Estonian cities that received the most votes in the contest are Elva, Jõhvi, Kuressaare, Kunda, Lihula, Narva, Paldiski, Pärnu, Põltsamaa, Püssi, Rapla, Tallinn, Tartu, Valga, Viljandi, and Võru.

The cities of Latvia chosen by the voters are Aizpute, Alūksne, Daugavpils, Kuldīga, Liepāja, Limbaži, Lubāna, Ogre, Olaine, Rēzekne, Rīga, Saldus, Sigulda, Skrunda, Ventspils, and Viļaka.

The Lithuanian winners are Anykščiai, Alytus, Biržai, Druskininkai, Joniškėlis, Kėdainiai, Klaipėda, Molėtai, Rokiškis, Šilalė, Šilutė, Tauragė, Ukmergė, Vilnius, Visaginas, and Zarasai.

The contest, held in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way, attracted significant interest and participation both within the Baltic states and beyond. Voting ran from Aug. 5 to 22, and in total, the contest received more than one million votes.

Martin Gauss, CEO and president of Air Baltic, said: "We are delighted by the overwhelming enthusiasm and engagement this contest generated. The 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way is a momentous occasion celebrating unity across the Baltic states. By naming our aircraft after cities in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, we honor this event and strengthen the connection among nations. It is a privilege to have our fleet carry the names of these cities worldwide, showcasing our unity and pride."

The contest was open to everyone, with voting allowed once per day. Participants could vote for any city in Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania that holds official city status, regardless of their nationality, citizenship, or place of residence.

The Baltic Way was a peaceful political demonstration which took place on Aug. 23, 1989, when an estimated two million people joined their hands to form a 600-kilometer human chain through the Baltic countries to demonstrate their unity in the efforts towards freedom from the Soviet Union.