Latvia’s national airline airBaltic this spring will add 10 routes from Rīga and Vilnius and also will acquire another airplane, the company announced Jan. 30.

Starting March 1, airBaltic will fly between Rīga and Düsseldorf , Germany. Between March and May the airline also will commence flying between Rīga and Baku, Azerbaijan; Bergen, Norway; Tbilisi, Georgia; Warsaw, Poland, and Simferopol, Ukraine.

Flights also will be added between the Lithuanian capital and Stockholm, Sweden; Budapest, Hungary; Düsseldorf and Warsaw.

The additional routes will bring the total of direct airBaltic flights to 45—30 from Rīga and 15 from Vilnius.

The airline also announced it will add another Boeing 737 to its existing fleet of 15 airplanes. The new plane will be used for flights to and from Vilnius. The company did not reveal how much it is paying for the aircraft.

The airline is 52.6 percent controlled by the Republic of Latvia and 47.2 percent controlled by Scandinavian Airlines System. Last year airBaltic carried 1.04 million passengers.

The largest Latvian team ever—including 57 athletes and 14 coaches—has been confirmed by the Latvian Olympic Committee for participation in 20th Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

The committee announced the selection during a Jan. 25 press conference in Rīga. (The International Olympic Committee allowed Latvia one more spot on Feb. 6, adding shorttrack skating to the country’s list of sports and bumping the total number of athletes to 58.)

In all, the delegation will consist of 98 individuals. Besides the athletes and coaches, the delegation is to include nine medical personnel, 11 administrative and technical workers, and six guests of honor.

The Winter Olympics are scheduled Feb. 10-26.

The Latvian competitors going to Torino include:

• Biathalon athletes Jānis Bērziņš, Anžela Brice, Ilmārs Bricis, Gerda Krūmiņa, Kristaps Lībietis, Madara Līduma, Edgars Piksons, Linda Savļaka and Raivis Zīmelis.
• Bobsled athletes Mihails Arhipovs, Māris Bogdanovs, Intars Dīcmanis, Daumants Dreiškens, Gatis Gūts, Jānis Miņins, Jānis Ozols, Ainārs Podnieks, Reinis Rozītis and Mārcis Rullis.
• Skeleton athletes Martins Dukurs.
• Luge athletes Aiva Aparjode, Kaspars Dumpis, Anna Orlova, Guntis Rēķis, Mārtiņš Rubenis, Andris Šics, Juris Šics and Maija Tīruma.
• Alpine skiers Ivars Ciaguns and Renārs Doršs.
• Cross-country skiers Oļegs Andrejevs,Valts Eiduks, Oļegs Maļuhins and Intars Spalviņš.
• Hockey players Ģirts Ankipāns, Armands Bērziņš, Igors Bondarevs, Aigars Cipruss, Viktors Ignatjevs, Artūrs Irbe, Rodrigo Laviņš, Vladimirs Mamonovs, Edgars Masaļskis, Sergejs Naumovs, Aleksandrs Ņižvijs, Grigorijs Panteļejevs, Georgijs Pujacs, Miķelis Rēdlihs, Arvīds Rēķis, Agris Saviels, Aleksandrs Semjonovs, Kārlis Skrastiņš, Jānis Sprukts, Leonīds Tambijevs, Atvars Tribuncovs, Herberts Vasiļjevs, Māris Ziediņš and, in reserve, Mārtiņš Cipulis, Aleksandrs Macijevskis, Sandis Ozoliņš and Krišjānis Rēdlihs.
• Shorttrack skater Evita Krievāne, who was added Feb. 6 after the International Olympic Committee accepted the Latvian Olympic Committee’s request.

Four years ago, the Latvian squad competing in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, did not come home with any medals. The ice hockey team finished ninth and the men’s bobsled teams and women’s luge competitors finished in the top 10.

(Updated 07 Feb 2006)

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, will indeed visit Latvia in October, President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga’s press office has confirmed.

The news agency LETA broke the news early in January, but official sources at the time did not confirm the report. The British royalty are coming to Latvia at the invitiation of Vīke-Freiberga, the president’s press office said Jan. 25.

This will be the queen’s first visit to Latvia.

The queen and duke also will visit Estonia and Lithuania, Buckingham Palace announced.

Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 in April.

(UPDATED 26 JAN 2006)