Elīna Prāve

VP Marketing

Bold creativity marks the airBaltic brand, yet humanity is its heart. When Elīna Prāve joined airBaltic in 2002, the airline was still partially owned by SAS. The marketing department worked closely with the Swedish side, following brand guidelines and aligning the direction of marketing campaigns.

A change in ownership structure marked the beginning of a new chapter. It was clear that the existing brand no longer reflected the company’s ambitions, and a year-long process began to create a new identity and brand values.

During the transition, the marketing team experimented. The first online booking engine for ticket purchases on the airline’s website was launched, and creative deviations from the previously conservative brand image began to appear. At that time, Elīna was also studying for a Master’s degree in Arts Management at the Latvian Academy of Culture, specializing in contemporary dance, with the goal of becoming a dance arts producer. But her work at airBaltic gradually grew into a true passion for aviation.

She recalls that the airline’s slogan back then was “Let’s Fly!” and she came up with the idea to combine it with a dance theme – after all, dancers move freely and gracefully, just like birds. The idea coincided with the fleet’s expansion with its first Boeing aircraft, and Elīna proposed placing images of dancers in colorful costumes on the new aircraft tails.

“Such a light-hearted, informal visual style was unusual in aviation at the time. But I’m grateful that the management trusted me and allowed experiments, creating a vibrant and dynamic brand that many still remember today,” Elīna notes.

The idea gained such recognition that the dancers appeared on all the airline’s aircraft – not just the new ones, but also those that had been in the fleet for years. Elīna explains that the imagery was created in collaboration with Olga Žitluhina and her contemporary dance troupe: “Everyone involved were professionals, and their energy in movement became an integral part of airBaltic’s image.”

One particular memory connected to these aircraft has stayed with her. On an early Easter morning, before the aircraft departed on their flights, the entire fleet was gathered together for a photo session. Technicians positioned them together just like in a dance scene, creating a rare and festive scene. The team celebrated and marked the holiday together. “That was the moment I realized – this job is truly special, and I couldn’t imagine a better one,” Elīna recalls.

With the new brand identity came the now-iconic lime-green airBaltic tails – still a familiar sight across the fleet today. Yet for Elīna, the period of beautiful dancers on aircraft tails remains one of the most creative and inspiring phases of her career.