Issuing of a stamp dedicated to the 50th anniversary of RIX Riga Airport

On 3 December 2024 Latvijas Pasts will issue a 50th anniversary stamp and a first-day cover for RIX Riga Airport. The design is created by the well-known Latvian artist Ritums Ivanovs. The stamp depicts architectural elements of the iconic building of Riga Airport, which will acquire a special nostalgic value with the expansion of the airport in the coming years.

“In 50 years, Riga Airport has grown from a small local airport in the 1970s to the largest airport in the Baltics and a modern hub for international traffic. The airport is also currently undergoing major changes, and in a few years’ time the building will no longer look as we have known it so far – the passenger terminal will be expanded, which will allow Riga Airport to operate at an even higher capacity. That is the reason why we wanted to immortalise the iconic building in this stamp, symbolically saying goodbye to its familiar silhouette,” says Laila Odiņa, Chairperson of the Board of RIX Riga Airport.

“While creating the design of the Riga Airport anniversary stamp, it was important for me to find and capture the iconic features of the airport building with a picturesque lightness. During the process, I was looking for the ideal turns, fragments and compositions to capture the spirit of the building from different angles in this small-scale artwork – both the facade that we see when we arrive at the airport and the aerodrome side of the building that greets and accompanies travellers. I wanted to create visual images that had both a special nostalgic and design value,” says artist Ritums Ivanovs.

“International parcel delivery has been the basis for successful cooperation between Latvijas Pasts and Riga Airport for many years. We have a lot in common – a logistics industry, customer-oriented services and a clear development path, which intersects in the air if not on the ground. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the airport, we are honoured to reveal its uniqueness to the whole world in a special way – in a message on a stamp. A stamp is not just a way to pay for parcels, it is a story about our values and traditions, about our country’s identity and openness. Riga Airport, like every stamp, is a runway for Latvia in the world and the world in Latvia,” said Andris Puriņš, Acting Chairperson of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, congratulating Riga Airport on its 50th anniversary.

The Riga Airport 50th anniversary stamp will be issued in a mintage of 10 000 copies, and the first-day covers in 500 copies. The stamp has a face value of €2.30 and is intended for different combinations of tariffs.

The Riga Airport stamp will initially be available at the post office on Elizabetes Street, as well as in the Latvijas Pasts e-shop https://veikals.pasts.lv/.

The first-day cover stamping will take place on Tuesday, 3 December at the post office on Elizabetes Street, 41/43 Elizabetes Street, Riga, from 10:00 to 18:00.