airBaltic expresses regrets about the incident on September 17 at Riga International Airport. Due to an indication of a technical issue with nose landing gear, airBaltic flight BT641 with Bombardier Q400 NextGen from Riga to Zurich (departure 08:04 local time), was diverted back to the airport and made an emergency landing at 10:26 local time.

The situation required enhanced safety measures by the crew, as well as airport and emergency services, in accordance with the highest industry standards.

According to the initial information 63 passengers, including 2 children and 1 infant, as well as four crew members were on board. No injuries were detected and all passengers were safely transferred to Riga airport terminal right after the landing.

airBaltic apologizes for the inconveniences caused to the passengers of BT641 affected, as well as other flights that have been diverted, delayed or cancelled due to this incident. We thank our professional crew, Riga International Airport, emergency services and all the involved parties for their contribution in resolving this situation.

The captain of the flight has flown 3880 hours in total, and 2380 on Bombardier Q400Next Gen, while the first officer has 10500 total flight hours, and 2700 on the Q400.

The aircraft involved is Bombardier Q400NextGen, YL-BAI, serial number 4302, was delivered 7 December 2010. The aircraft has flown a total of 15 685 hours, and performed 11 730 landings. The last technical check on the aircraft was performed on 17 September 2016, the last major technical check (known as C-check) was performed 8 May 2015.