In 2016, airBaltic took delivery of its very first Airbus A220-300. Of course, at the time it was the Bombardier CS300. Nonetheless, the delivery of this jet was meant to begin the slow phase-out of the Latvian carrier's existing aircraft. This process would ultimately see airBaltic become an all-A220 operator. The pandemic expedited this process, and all older jets were removed in 2020. So where are the airline's former Dash 8-400s flying now? Let's find out.

12 aircraft, about seven different directions

Sometimes when a fleet of aircraft are retired, they might follow each other around the world. Leased out in pairs, triplets, etc., you may see parallel histories as used aircraft get passed from one operator to another. It's not quite the case for airBaltic's Dash 8 fleet. With this sub-fleet seemingly entirely owned by Nordic Aviation Capital, the airline returned its fleet of leased turboprops to the Danish lessor, leaving it up to the lessor to find new operators for the aircraft.

While the specific and perhaps overly-detailed breakdown of turboprop fates and directions post-airBaltic is listed further in this article, we can say that a number of aircraft went to Norwegian carrier Widerøe. At the time of writing, the airline has nearly 50 aircraft in its fleet - the majority of which are variants of the DHC Dash 8, including the -100, -200, -300, and -400.

Other ex-airBaltic Dash 8s have gone to other airlines. One operated for the now-grounded Flybe, while another is due to go to an airline in Mozambique. Another aircraft is listed as being with a private operator and thus has no detailed information available about it. All other Dash 8s are in storage.

Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

Listing each individual aircraft

In case you were curious about the fate of each individual aircraft, below is a listing by registration:

• YL-BAE is now registered G-SOUA and flew for UK regional carrier Flybe, on lease from Nordic Aviation Capital.
• YL-BAF is now registered OY-YFM and is listed as stored, under the ownership of Nordic Aviation Capital.
• YL-BAH is now registered LN-WDM and will fly for Widerøe, on lease from Nordic Aviation Capital. At the time of this article's publication, the aircraft is listed as stored.
• YL-BAI is listed as inactive. The aircraft has not changed its registration and, according to Planespotters.net, is marked as 'stored' in Malta.
• YL-BAJ is now registered LN-WDP and will also fly for Widerøe, on lease from Nordic Aviation Capital.
• YL-BAQ also retains its registration and is listed as stored. Its storage location is listed as airBaltic's home base of Riga.
• YL-BAX is now registered as OY-YFJ and is listed as stored in Malta under the ownership of Nordic Aviation Capital.
• YL-BAY is now registered OY-YFE and is being stored under the care of Nordic Aviation Capital. Its location is not listed with Planespotters.net, but FlightRadar24.com notes that its most recent location is Oslo Sandefjord Airport as of November 3rd, 2022.
• YL-BBT is due to go to AM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique, in Mozambique. Again, this will be under lease from Nordic Aviation Capital The aircraft has yet to be assigned an exact registration, but will have the C9 prefix.
• YL-BBU is now registered LN-WDR and is also operated by Widerøe.
• YL-BBV, now registered as OY-YFP is not listed with any airline. Planespotters.net notes that this aircraft is with a private owner.
• And finally, YL-BBW is now registered LN-WDS and again, is operated by Widerøe.

Photo:  Alasdair McLellan via Wikimedia Commons

As noted at the start, airBaltic now operates an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet. The airline is overall satisfied with the aircraft's performance, but has certainly encountered some issues with the new aircraft and its engines.

Did you ever get a chance to fly on airBaltic's Dash 8-400s? Share your experiences by leaving a comment!

Sources: Planespotters.net, FlightRadar24.com