Air Baltic to co-operate with SAS on transatlantic routes

Latvia's Air Baltic is intending to enter a co-operation agreement with SAS Group covering transatlantic services operated by Scandinavian Airlines.

Under the proposal Air Baltic would place its 'BT' designator code on Scandinavian Airlines flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Newark, Chicago and Washington.

Under the US-European 'open skies' pact this codeshare could extend to other routes.

In a submission to US regulators the carriers state: "Air Baltic has not previously and will not, under the codeshare, directly operate any flights to or from the USA."

Scandinavian Airlines already codeshares with Air Baltic on several European routes.

SAS Group was a shareholder in Air Baltic but in January this year it sold its 47.2% stake to a company, Baltijas Aviacijas Sistemas, controlled by Air Baltic's chief executive.