Martin Gauss fired, revolution at airBaltic top management after 14 years. Blame too much wet leasing?

Major changes at home airBaltic: Martin Gauss is no longer the company's CEO. After more than a decade at the helm of the Latvian carrier, the German manager was relieved of his post on April 7, 2025, following a decision taken at the annual shareholders' meeting and made official by the Supervisory Board. No direct statement, no spectacular announcement: just a sober statement, but one that conceals a move that is anything but minor in the European aviation landscape.

The news quickly made the rounds in the industry, because Gauss was not simply a CEO. He had been the face and soul of airBaltic's relaunch since 2011. It was he who led the company through a very delicate period, turning it into a successful example in the Baltic and European context. Its work has included a complete restructuring, fleet renewal with the introduction of Airbus A220-300s, transformation into a hybrid low-cost and network carrier, and most recently the start of the path to a stock market listing.

Taking his place temporarily will be Pauls Cālītis, current chief operations officer, who now assumes the role of Interim CEO. A historical figure at airBaltic, Cālītis has been with the company since 1995, where he started as a pilot before moving to the top operational positions. Also remaining with him is Vitolds Jakovļevs, chief financial officer and board member.

Despite the earthquake at the top, the company reassures on all fronts: daily operations, passenger services, and strategic plans remain unchanged. The priority, according to the new top management, is to ensure continuity, stability and growth. Ultimate goal? To continue working toward the long-awaited IPO, which could permanently change the face of the Latvian company.

The feeling, however, is that this change is not just administrative. Since the announcement, many observers have wondered whether disagreements over the carrier's future are behind Gauss's exit, especially now that the group Lufthansa has made official a minority investment, with the closing of the transaction expected by mid-2025. In Latvia they may not have digested the double wetlease strategy, with modern airplanes leased to the LH group and scassoplanes to fly to Riga.

Today airBaltic is an expanding airline, with a network of nearly 130 routes from Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and, in the high season, also from Gran Canaria. The carrier connects the Baltic countries to more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus, and recently distinguished itself by being the first European airline to offer the Free high-speed Wi-Fi thanks to SpaceX's Starlink technology.

There is no shortage of international recognition, including Skytrax and APEX awards for service quality and safety, as well as recent entry into Airline Ratings' ranking of the 50 safest airlines in the world. But today, the news is one: Martin Gauss is out of airBaltic, and the future of the Latvian carrier-which until yesterday seemed clearly written-now opens up to new scenarios.