Lithuanian Airports Experience Record-Breaking Year in 2023
Last year, the Lithuanian Airports saw a significant surge in passenger numbers, with over six million passengers passing through the terminals. This marked an increase of 12 per cent from the previous year, demonstrating a strong upward trend in the country’s aviation sector.
The data provided by Vilnius Airport revealed that the volume of flights also saw a notable uptick, registering a 4.5 per cent surge from the preceding year, with more than 53,000 flights.
Tomas Zitikis, the Route Development Manager of the Lithuanian Airports, noted that the passenger flows to Western countries in 2023 have already surpassed the scope before the pandemic. He also highlighted the challenges in drawing direct comparisons between the current situation and that of previous years, such as 2019, due to the cessation of flights to eastern destinations. However, he expressed confidence in the prospect of further strengthening the growth trend in 2024.
The expanding scope of operations by traditional air carriers at Lithuanian airports was also observed last year. This includes an increase in daily flights to Helsinki, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Vienna by carriers such as Finnair, Lufthansa, SAS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines, among others.
Kaunas Airport also achieved record-breaking performance, serving over 1.3 million passengers and marking an impressive 12 per cent increase, even when compared to 2019. The steady acceleration in the performance of Vilnius and Palanga airports also suggests a robust contribution to the country’s economy.
Given the unprecedented global growth in air travel demand, Zitikis predicts that total passenger volumes at Lithuanian air terminals in the current year will likely mirror the levels seen in 2019, reaching around 6.5 million.
Overall, the surge in operations and passenger numbers at Lithuanian airports in 2023 reflects a positive trend for the country’s aviation sector and its contribution to the global travel demand.
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