Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has returned to Riga Airport (RIX) after a long break, providing regular flights up to three times a day on the Riga-Copenhagen route from 8 March 2026. This significantly improves the connectivity of Latvian and Baltic passengers with European, North American and other long-haul markets, as Copenhagen provides a wide range of transfer options within the SAS route network.
SAS first started regular flights to Riga in 1990 and discontinued them in 2008. Renewal of the Riga-Copenhagen route increases accessibility between the two capitals and makes Copenhagen a more convenient transfer point for passengers from the Baltic States.
Copenhagen Airport is one of the most important aviation hubs in Northern Europe and expansion of SAS’s network strengthens its role as an international connection hub. For Riga Airport (RIX), this means better access to the Nordic countries, European cities and long-distance destinations. Direct connections to the United States have long been among the most common unserved destinations from Riga.
The connection via Copenhagen improves the ability of Latvian passengers to reach New York, Washington, D.C., Boston and other major North American cities with a single transfer. At the same time, SAS’s summer programme complements Copenhagen’s international network with new destinations to Asia and European centres. Such connections are important not only for individual travellers, but also for companies, investment attraction, and conference and business tourism, which are important for regular, predictable and internationally competitive aviation availability.
The return of SAS increases competition on the Riga–Copenhagen route because it provides a wider choice of flight times, more flexible transfer options and a larger ticket offer. This route strengthens the leading role of Riga Airport (RIX) in the Baltic region, as Copenhagen is one of the most sought-after destinations from Riga and at the same time serves as a starting point to further markets not only for residents of Latvia, but also Lithuania and Estonia.
Resumption of flights to Copenhagen creates more convenient access for travellers from Riga to SAS’s new and expanded destinations – Istanbul, Luxembourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Visby, Madrid, Hamburg, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Krakow, Prague, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Washington, Boston, etc.
