The warm sea in Dubai, sunny Tenerife and Gran Canaria - to the flight schedule in Lithuanian airports (LTOU) returning directions will herald the start of the aviation winter season. From the end of October, it is already possible to plan both trips to warm countries and winter trips to impressive Christmas towns in Vienna, Copenhagen, Berlin or another European capital.
"To speak generally about the context in which the entire aviation sector is located - the aviation market has been experiencing a significant shortage of aircraft in recent years, which is holding back the expansion plans of airlines and offers to passengers. It seems that the situation will not change in the near future, but our development allows us to maintain time-tested routes and the accessibility of Lithuania by air from the most important European capitals and large cities, as well as to ensure the comfort of passengers who choose vacation flights from Vilnius, Kaunas or Palanga in the winter," he says. Tomas Zitikis, Head of Flight Development Department of Lithuanian Airports.
According to LTOU, this winter from Vilnius airport 45 regular flight routes are planned, 19 from Kaunas and 6 from Palanga. 70 regular routes will be operated throughout the winter flight season.
A record number of destinations to Germany
According to T. Zitikis, maintaining and expanding the network of strategically important routes is helped by the risk sharing promotion model, which was introduced in the LTOU network last year. Partnerships with airlines make it possible to form and implement long-term joint business plans based on the principle of risk sharing. According to this model, flights are operated between Vilnius and London City, between Vilnius and Lisbon, between Vilnius and Hamburg, and from October 31. there will be regular flights from the capital of Lithuania to Dusseldorf in Germany.
In total, passengers planning trips to Germany in the winter season will be able to choose from ten destinations: eight from Vilnius and two from Kaunas. According to the data of Lithuanian airports, this connection of our country with the largest European economy is a record and important for both tourism and business relations.
Kaunas is strengthening its ties with the United Kingdom, and Palanga has important connections with aviation centers
In the winter season, Kaunas Airport will continue to operate routes connecting the most in-demand markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, and Spain. And from October 27 a new direction will start from Kaunas - to Belfast. A total of 19 routes will connect Kaunas airport with foreign countries this winter. Most of the routes will connect Kaunas with cities in the United Kingdom. Passengers from Kaunas will be received by two London airports, as well as Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool and the already mentioned Belfast.
If you miss the warmth of Kaunas, you can fly to Malaga, Madrid or Alicante in Spain, as well as to Paphos in Cyprus.
Palanga will also remain prominent on the flight map in winter with six flight directions. From Palanga airport in the winter season, you can plan trips both to neighboring Riga and to such European communication centers as Copenhagen or Amsterdam, which open up many opportunities for connecting flights to the whole world. Direct flights to London, Dublin, Oslo will ensure smooth trips home for Lithuanians working abroad.
It will be more comfortable to spend the winter in the Canary Islands
The country's largest airport in Vilnius, in the list of new destinations next to Dusseldorf, also offers the opportunity from October 29. to reach the capital of Norway, Oslo (Sandefjord Torp Airport). On the same day, winter aviation season flights from Vilnius to Tenerife return (three times a week). Flights to Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria will begin on November 2. From October 30 it will be possible to reach Dubai in the United Arab Emirates by direct flight from Vilnius.
Ski lovers will be able to take advantage of the opportunity and direct flights from December 21. to visit Turin and from January 11 Grenoble, France.
In one direction - as many as 34 flights per week
The winter flight season in the aviation world begins at the end of October. Seasonality, which drives the annual changes, is a regular part of European aviation's routine as airlines revise their route maps.
Low-cost airlines are making more changes to their business model, temporarily suspending flights to certain destinations, such as popular ones in the summer, as winter weather cools in southern Europe and elsewhere and tourism declines. Due to this regularity, according to T. Zitikis, Lithuanian airports pays particular attention to communication with European capitals, which often become gateways to further lands.
According to LTOU, the highest frequency of flights this winter season from Vilnius will continue to the Polish capital Warsaw - 32-34 flights per week, 28 - to the Finnish capital Helsinki, 26 - to the Latvian capital Riga, 19 - to the Danish capital Copenhagen. It is important to mention that the airline company "Brussels Airlines" is increasing the number of weekly flights between Vilnius and Brussels during the winter season - there will be five flights per week.
