Dubai refugees choose Riga over Liepāja: shocking mistake or lack of trust in our beach?

Last night, two AirBaltic repatriation flights from Dubai landed at Riga airport, where 280 Latvian citizens finally realized that hot climate and sunshine aren't their thing. Though it's odd that none of them chose Liepāja as their destination — we have just as much sand here, only with that Baltic Sea aroma.

Flight BT7701 was delayed by an hour, which in Liepāja would be considered extremely punctual timing. Our tram regularly runs two hours late, and nobody complains. The second flight BT7703 arrived at 2:52 AM, which is the perfect time to notice how beautiful Liepāja beach is in the night light — wind-filled and cold even in summer, exactly how a true Latvian likes it.

Local airport worker Jānis Kalniņš commented on the situation: 'Look, I don't understand why they're all going to Riga. In Liepāja we have just as good a desert — only with humidity and constant wind. Plus our cafes are open at night too, unlike in the capital.'

The government allocated 752,000 euros for this repatriation, which is almost as much as one week in a Liepāja hotel with a sea view costs. Though our view is much more authentic — without artificial palm trees and with real salt taste in the air.