Riga International Airport is strengthening its position as a regional aviation hub with the renewal of a key fuel supply partnership that ties together Baltic infrastructure, a fast-growing Turkish carrier, and one of Europe’s more ambitious ground handling groups. Gulfstream Oil, a subsidiary of Baltic Ground Services (BGS), has extended its aviation fuel supply agreement with Mavi Gök Airlines at Riga Airport, consolidating a relationship that is increasingly important for charter and leisure traffic between Northern Europe and Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast.
Details of the Renewed Fuel Supply Deal
The renewed cooperation between Gulfstream Oil and Mavi Gök Airlines secures aviation fuel deliveries for the Turkish carrier’s operations at Riga International Airport for another year starting from April 2026. Gulfstream Oil first began serving Mavi Gök Airlines at Riga in April 2025, and the extension confirms that the relationship has matured beyond its initial launch phase into a stable, recurring partnership supporting the airline’s charter program.
Under the agreement, Gulfstream Oil will continue fueling Mavi Gök aircraft operating charter services from the Latvian capital, with Antalya on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast among the primary destinations. The carrier deploys a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft on these routes, including Boeing 777 aircraft on selected high-demand flights, underscoring the capacity and reliability requirements placed on the fuel provider.
For BGS and its fuel subsidiary, the extension represents a reinforcement of their role in Riga’s aviation ecosystem. It comes on top of several other renewed and expanded contracts in the region, positioning the group as one of the key suppliers for both scheduled and charter airlines flying from the Baltic capitals and secondary airports in Central Europe.
For Mavi Gök Airlines, the deal ensures continuity at a time when the airline is broadening its charter and wet-lease portfolio across Europe and deepening its presence in the Baltics. Stable fuel sourcing at Riga is central to managing costs, punctuality and customer confidence on leisure-heavy routes that are often tightly scheduled around peak holiday periods.
Riga’s Growing Role in Baltic and Leisure Traffic
Riga International Airport has long marketed itself as the largest airport in the Baltic states, and fuel partnerships like the one between Gulfstream Oil and Mavi Gök Airlines highlight its increasingly international profile. While Riga is best known as the home base of Latvia’s national carrier airBaltic, the airport has steadily attracted foreign airlines and charter operators seeking access to the Baltic and Nordic markets.
The continuation of Mavi Gök Airlines’ fuel contract at Riga dovetails with broader investment in aviation energy flows through the Latvian capital. Recent infrastructure developments at the Port of Riga have opened a new chapter in aviation fuel logistics, with a modern filling and discharging ramp designed to handle large volumes of jet fuel arriving by sea. This facility, built with a capacity of up to 200,000 tons of fuel per month, is intended to serve both Riga Airport and filling stations across Latvia, enhancing the country’s resilience and flexibility in sourcing aviation fuel.
Such developments are particularly significant for airports like Riga that serve a mix of scheduled, charter and low-cost traffic. A diversified and secure fuel supply chain helps shield airlines from volatility in regional supply routes, while enabling the airport to respond quickly to capacity shifts, whether they come from seasonal charter expansions, new routes, or wet-lease operations launched on short notice.
By reinforcing the Gulfstream Oil–Mavi Gök Airlines partnership, Riga Airport underlines its ambition to be more than just a point-to-point gateway. Instead, it is consolidating its role as a flexible, multi-operator platform able to support a variety of airline business models, from national carriers and regional operators to ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) specialists and holiday-focused airlines.
Mavi Gök Airlines: A Rising Turkish Player in European Skies
Mavi Gök Airlines, based in Antalya, has rapidly evolved from a maintenance-focused aviation company into a full-fledged charter and wet-lease carrier active across Europe. After obtaining its own air operator certificate in July 2022 and launching its first official flight that same month, the airline has steadily expanded its fleet, which includes Boeing 737-800, 737-900ER and 777-300ER aircraft, as well as business jets and smaller utility aircraft.
The airline positions itself as a flexible partner for tour operators, corporate clients and other carriers, operating a mixture of charter flights from holiday destinations, bespoke corporate services and wet-lease operations across multiple markets. In 2024 and 2025, Mavi Gök Airlines joined the IATA family, first becoming an IOSA-registered airline and later an IATA member, signaling a commitment to international safety and operational standards.
Fuel efficiency and environmental performance have also moved up the airline’s agenda. Mavi Gök Airlines has partnered with fuel efficiency specialist OpenAirlines to deploy advanced analytics through the SkyBreathe platform, using big data and artificial intelligence to optimize fuel burn and reduce emissions across its fleet. This initiative supports targeted reductions in fuel consumption and operating costs, and complements the reliability benefits that stem from stable fuel supply partnerships at key airports such as Riga.
By securing dedicated fuel arrangements in the Baltics, including Riga and other nearby airports, Mavi Gök Airlines is better placed to plan seasonal charter programs to leisure destinations like Antalya while keeping both cost and reliability under tighter control. For passengers, this manifests in more consistent schedules and the ability for tour operators to commit to capacity well ahead of peak season.
Gulfstream Oil and the BGS Network in the Baltics
Gulfstream Oil operates as the aviation fuel arm of Baltic Ground Services, a company that has become a familiar presence at airports across the Baltic region and parts of Central Europe. Through BGS, airlines are offered a suite of services that include ground handling, aircraft fueling and logistics, with the group positioning itself as a one-stop partner for both scheduled carriers and charter operators.
In recent years, BGS has systematically broadened its airline portfolio. It renewed and extended cooperation with carriers such as Ryanair and SkyUp, and most recently prolonged its agreement with Latvia’s flagship airline airBaltic for fueling services at Riga and Palanga until the end of 2026. These contracts, combined with the ongoing collaboration with Mavi Gök Airlines, signal that BGS and Gulfstream Oil are now a central part of the fueling landscape at Riga and several other airports in the region.
For Gulfstream Oil, the extension of the Mavi Gök Airlines contract at Riga is another affirmation of its ability to deliver safe, reliable and efficient fuel supply in a competitive market. The company must not only manage day-to-day operations such as into-plane fueling and quality control, but also navigate the broader logistics chain that brings aviation fuel from refineries and ports to storage facilities and, ultimately, to the aircraft wing.
As the Baltic aviation market becomes more interconnected with wider European and transatlantic fuel flows, suppliers like Gulfstream Oil are under growing pressure to secure diversified sources, maintain robust logistics, and align with evolving sustainability requirements. The Riga partnership therefore serves both as a local operational contract and as a component of a larger regional strategy.
Energy Security and New Fuel Infrastructure in Latvia
The renewal of the Riga Airport fuel partnership comes at a time of strategic reconfiguration in Latvia’s fuel supply chains. The arrival of the first-ever shipment of aviation fuel from the United States to the Port of Riga has opened a new chapter in the country’s energy logistics, signaling an intent to diversify suppliers and enhance energy security.
The newly opened fuel filling and discharging ramp at the port, operated by a private logistics company, was designed specifically to handle significant volumes of jet fuel and road fuels each month. With the capacity to process up to 200,000 tons of fuel per month, and plans to handle around 10,000 tons of aviation fuel monthly, the facility is set to become a key node in supplying Riga Airport and other aviation customers in Latvia.
These investments are politically and economically significant. Latvian officials have framed the development as a tangible step toward deeper transatlantic energy ties, reducing dependence on traditional suppliers and ensuring more competitive and secure fuel pricing for both the transport sector and broader economy. For the aviation industry, this diversification of supply routes increases resilience in the face of potential disruptions and price spikes in regional markets.
In practical terms, the new infrastructure at the Port of Riga reinforces the reliability of fuel deliveries to airports like Riga International. Companies such as Gulfstream Oil can tap into strengthened supply chains that combine seaborne imports, modern storage and flexible distribution networks, supporting long-term contracts with airlines including Mavi Gök Airlines, airBaltic and other carriers active in the region.
Regulation, Sustainability and the Shift to SAF
Behind the scenes of any commercial fuel contract lies a regulatory landscape that is changing rapidly in Europe. The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation is gradually increasing the mandated share of sustainable aviation fuel in the total volume of fuel uplifted at major EU airports. From 2025 onwards, airlines and fuel suppliers are required to blend a small but rising share of SAF into conventional jet fuel, with more ambitious targets set for the 2030s and beyond.
The Baltic region has started responding to this shift. In 2025, regional energy providers introduced SAF across Baltic markets, including at airports in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. This enables airlines operating from these hubs to access SAF blends compatible with existing aircraft and fueling infrastructure, without requiring technical modifications to their fleets. While SAF volumes remain relatively modest compared to conventional jet fuel, they are set to grow steadily under regulatory pressure and corporate sustainability commitments.
For Mavi Gök Airlines, which has invested in digital fuel efficiency programs, access to SAF in markets such as Latvia offers another lever in its environmental strategy. While the current fuel agreement at Riga is focused on reliable jet fuel supply, future iterations of such contracts may increasingly incorporate SAF volumes, emissions reporting and collaborative initiatives to reduce lifecycle carbon footprints.
Gulfstream Oil and other suppliers in the region are therefore not only providing a traditional service, but also preparing for a structural transformation of the aviation fuel market. Investments in supply chain flexibility, quality control, and compatibility with new fuel types will be critical to meeting both regulatory demands and airline expectations as decarbonization gathers pace.
Implications for Travelers and the Tourism Corridor to Türkiye
While fuel supply contracts may seem far removed from the everyday concerns of travelers, they have very real consequences for the reliability, pricing and availability of flights. For holidaymakers in Latvia and neighboring countries, the renewed Gulfstream Oil and Mavi Gök Airlines partnership helps underpin a vital tourism corridor between the Baltic region and Türkiye’s Mediterranean resorts.
Antalya, one of Mavi Gök Airlines’ core bases, is a long-established favorite among Northern European travelers seeking sun, sea and resort-style holidays. Charter flights from Riga to Antalya allow tour operators to bundle flights, accommodation and ground services into attractive packages, often scheduled tightly around weekly cycles and seasonal peaks. Reliable fuel supplies reduce the risk of last-minute cancellations or schedule disruptions that can ripple through such carefully coordinated programs.
For Riga International Airport, the continuation of Mavi Gök Airlines’ operations also broadens the range of leisure options on offer to its passenger base. While the airport’s primary network is built around airBaltic and its associated connections throughout Europe and the Middle East, the presence of additional charter carriers diversifies the mix and can stimulate competitive fares during peak travel months.
In the longer term, as fuel supply chains become more diversified and potentially more cost-competitive, there is scope for airlines to manage their operating expenses more efficiently, which can translate into better value for travelers. At the same time, efforts to introduce SAF and improve fuel efficiency will increasingly shape the environmental footprint of these popular leisure routes, a factor that is beginning to matter more for both passengers and policymakers.
Outlook: A Strategic Partnership in a Changing Market
The renewal of the Riga Airport fuel partnership between Gulfstream Oil and Mavi Gök Airlines is more than a routine contract extension. It represents a strategic alignment of a growing Turkish airline, an expanding Baltic service provider and a regional hub airport at a moment when fuel supply, energy security and sustainability are all under intense scrutiny.
By extending their cooperation from April 2026, the two companies signal confidence in Riga as a stable base for charter operations to key holiday destinations. This confidence is supported by broader investments in Latvian fuel infrastructure, including new facilities at the Port of Riga and the rollout of SAF in Baltic markets, which together enhance the resilience and flexibility of aviation energy supplies.
For BGS and Gulfstream Oil, the deal further embeds them as a central fuel partner for airlines operating in and out of the Baltics, complementing renewed agreements with major players such as airBaltic and Ryanair. For Mavi Gök Airlines, it consolidates an important foothold in Northern Europe and supports the carrier’s growth ambitions in charter and wet-lease services.
Looking ahead, the partnership will likely evolve in tandem with regulatory changes and technological shifts in the aviation fuel market. As SAF volumes grow and digital tools deliver more granular insights into fuel performance and emissions, future agreements may incorporate more explicit sustainability targets and collaborative initiatives. For now, however, the renewed deal provides a solid foundation for continued connectivity between Riga and Antalya, and for the broader role of Riga International Airport as a dynamic player in Europe’s changing aviation landscape.