Erno Hilden has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Latvian airline airBaltic, the company said on August 19, 2025. He will assume the role on December 1, 2025.
Hilden has over 25 years of experience in aviation and finance. He most recently served as executive vice president and group chief financial officer of SAS Scandinavian Airlines until June 2025. He played a key role in the airline's leadership team during the company's restructuring and capital raise.
Before joining SAS, he held senior roles at Saudi Arabian Airlines Group and at Finnair, where he served as group CFO, chief operating officer, and a member of the executive board.
Martin Gauss had previously served as the airline's CEO until he was ousted in April, with him stating on social media that the decision was not his own. This had followed the airline cancelling over 4,500 summer flights at the start of the year.
This cancellation was largely driven by a forecast provided by Pratt & Whitney in December, which Gauss said had significantly increased the missing engines for the peak summer.
Speaking to Airline Economics in Dublin in January, Gauss said: “That caused our problem because it was too late for us to react, and we had to find a way to mitigate the impact.”
In the company's second quarter earnings call on August 13, management said it was in the “final stages” of its selection process for Gauss' successor and expected it to be completed in the follow next few weeks. The decision was made less than a week later.
“After a thorough and professional selection process, led by a dedicated nomination committee and an external independent recruitment partner, including the evaluation of several highly qualified candidates,” said airBaltic chairman of the supervisory board Andrejs Martinovs.
Hilden commented: “It is a privilege to take on this responsibility at airBaltic. My focus will be on ensuring continuity, supporting the Executive Board, and working together with the team to maintain operational stability and contribute to the company’s long-term objectives. I also look forward to applying my international aviation and financial experience to support the company’s next stage of development.”
Paul Calitis had served as the airline's interim CEO and executive board member. He will continue to do so until Hilden assumes his new role. The airline said this will “ensure continuity”.
After Hilden assumes his role, Calitis will continue as chief operating officer and as a member of the executive board.
For the first half of the year, airBaltic reported a net loss of €1.7 million, narrowing significantly from its €88.8 million loss in the first half of 2024. The stronger second quarter, which saw a net profit of €27.6 million, drove this recovery.