Latvia PM signals willingness to risk coalition collapse over airBaltic bailout

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has indicated she is prepared to risk the collapse of the ruling coalition in order to secure state support for the national airline airBaltic.

In a statement published on the social media platform X, Siliņa said that ensuring financial assistance for the carrier was more important than maintaining the current coalition. She suggested that if coalition stability stood in the way of approving the loan, she would be willing to accept its collapse, Caliber.Az reports. 

ZZS vakar piedāvāja atbalstu Saeimas balsojumā īstermiņa aizdevumam airBaltic, ja satiksmes ministrs atkāpjas.

Ja cena par atbalsta nodrošināšanu airBaltic ir koalīcijas izjukšana - esmu tam gatava.

Atbalsts airBaltic man ir svarīgāks par valdības koalīcijas noturēšanu.…

— Evika Siliņa 🇱🇻🇺🇦 (@EvikaSilina) April 15, 2026

The prime minister’s remarks come amid growing tensions within the government, as the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) has conditioned its support for the loan on the resignation of Transport Minister Atis Švinka.

Siliņa also urged coalition partners to hold urgent consultations to assess whether continued cooperation within the current government framework remains viable.

The dispute follows the government’s earlier approval of a short-term loan to airBaltic. However, coalition parties failed to reach a unified position in parliament, deepening the political crisis and raising uncertainty over both the airline’s financing and the stability of the government.

By Sabina Mammadli