Baltia Air Lines 18 mins · New York, NY · O

Baltia Air Lines
18 mins · New York, NY ·
OBITUARY FOR IGOR DMITROWSKY
Igor Dmitrowsky, Founder, President and CEO of Baltia Air Lines Inc. (BLTA) passed away suddenly at his home on January 4, 2016. Mr. Dmitrowsky was 61 years old. Mr. Dmitrowsky was born in Riga, Latvia on June 16, 1954 and immigrated to the United States in 1976 settling in New York City. He became a US citizen in 1982. A true New Yorker, Mr. Dmitrowsky loved the city he chose as his home for nearly 40 years. After attending Queens College he worked for several years at Durst Industries as an Engineer. In 1977 he founded American Kefir Corporation which produced a unique cultured milk product called kefir, and marketed as Basis Kefir. Eventually Basis Kefir reached 100% market penetration in the New York City metro area. In 1989 Mr. Dmitrowsky founded Baltia Air Lines along with Steffanie Lewis, Brian Glynn and Walter Kaplinsky. Very soon thereafter, Baltia Air Lines was awarded the newly established New York-St. Petersburg, Russia route authority. This was a tremendous accomplishment because Baltia was the only start-up airline to compete for that route. In the early 90’s Mr. Dmitrowsky was selected to the prestigious “Forbes 40 under 40” which honors upcoming entrepreneurs and business leaders. Mr. Dmitrowsky was a visionary greatly admired by friends, colleagues and peers. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious. He was a youthful, compassionate and dynamic leader with unique qualities that will be missed by all. He was an avid pilot, scuba diver and sailor who enjoyed an active life style. He loved travelling and his life-long dream of launching a new American airline. Mr. Dmitrowsky was predeceased by his mother, Aina Dmitrowsky in 2015. A memorial service will be held at a future date to honor his life and legacy.