Air Riga statement on operations following dissolution of Soviet Union

[Cardinal]

AIR RIGA STATEMENT REGARDING THE IMPACT ON OPERATIONS FOLLOWING THE DISSOLUTION OF THE SOVIET UNION

Monday 30th December 1991

Air Riga wishes to assure our passengers that we are continuing to operate flights wherever possible within the former Soviet Union. After the late summer separation of four former Soviet republics, our operations are beginning to wind down in Ukraine and Estonia. Our maintenance and crew bases will soon close there following directives from Kyiv and Tallinn. After the closure of our bases in Kyiv, Odesa, Simferopol, and Dnipro, direct flights from most Ukraine cities to Riga will continue.

We are now committed to providing flight services to our bases in Uzbekistan and Russia for as long as we are permitted to do so, but we expect government officials in Tashkent and Moscow to issue similar notices requiring us to close our bases there. Again, direct flights to Riga will continue after base closure. Passengers should contact their closest Air Riga airport ticket desk to confirm flight status, and discuss rebooking options in the event of flight cancellations.

We are also committed to retaining as many of our employees as possible. Latvia's recent independence has opened up much of Europe to us and we are redeploying our fleet to build Riga as northeastern Europe's premiere connecting hub.