Lithuania hopes to find firm of business flights to London within year

  • 2018-01-10
  • LETA/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – An international airline for carrying business clients from Vilnius to London may be established at the end of 2018 or early next year, with a tender called for the purpose, said Gediminas Almantas, CEO of Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports), the operator of the country's three airports.

"We have chosen a clear format – PSO or Public Service Obligation, which features a clear bureaucratic course. The process has to be harmonized with the European Commission. This has already been started to be able to launch the flights without violating rules of state assistance," Almantas told a news conference on Wednesday.

In his words, the tender could be held at the end of this year or in early 2019. Almantas did not rule out that the tender will not be called, if there is no interest from airlines.

Lietuvos Oro Uostai has been working for years to attract a conventional airline that would fly from London City, Heathrow or Gatwick airports at hours that would be convenient for businesses.

In mid-2017, Almantas said that conversations with British Airways, EasyJet and Latvia's AirBaltic had been fruitless.