The Riga-Dubai flight was turned around in Romanian airspace and returned to Riga, reported readers of bb.lv who were on the plane. There, the aircraft was changed to make a second attempt to reach Dubai.
bb.lv contacted the Latvian airline for a comment on the air incident involving their aircraft.
"We confirm that on February 15, 2026, airBaltic flight BT793 from Riga to Dubai returned to Riga for technical reasons," the airline reported.
According to the aviators, issues with the aircraft's sanitation system were identified during the flight. Considering that there were more than four hours of flight remaining to the destination, the decision was made to return to Riga, where both technical support and a backup crew could be provided.
"Additionally, it should be noted," airBaltic told bb.lv, "that in this situation, the current crew would no longer be able to complete the full flight due to limitations on maximum allowable working hours. At the same time, with the sanitation system not functioning, it would have been impossible to carry out the subsequent departure from Dubai." Therefore, it was decided to replace the aircraft and crew.
This decision was made to ensure that passengers receive an appropriate level of comfort and to comply with operational requirements, the airline added.
As a result, after returning and landing in Riga, the aircraft and crew were replaced, and the flight to Dubai was carried out on another aircraft.
What about monetary compensation for passengers? "Regarding compensation, each case is considered individually. Passengers are encouraged to contact airBaltic for detailed information," the airline informed bb.lv.
As reported by bb.lv, earlier, on February 4, 2026, airBaltic operated a flight from Dubai to Riga. Instead of the usual eight hours of travel, passengers spent almost a day.
