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State management of the civil aviation

The state regulatory function of the air transport is being carried out by the Civil Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, whereas the state management of the civil aviation is being carried out by the Civil Aviation Administration within the scope of its competence. Four state-managed international airports operate in Lithuania. Vilnius, Palanga and Kaunas airports are civil airports. They render services to regular and charter flights for passengers and goods. Šiauliai airport is a military airport, but the flights of civil aircraft are also permitted. Šiauliai airport renders services to charter flights for passengers and goods. Air navigation services in the airspace of the Republic of Lithuania are rendered by the State Enterprise Oro navigacija .

Air navigation services in the airspace over the territory and territorial waters of the Republic of Lithuania and in the airspace over the open Baltic Sea neutral waters are rendered by the State Enterprise ‘Oro navigacija’ (Air Navigation). The flight control system Eurocat 200 of the French company Thomson CSF meeting international standards is operated in Lithuania; it has been installed at flight control centres of Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga. Lithuanian airspace, the total area of which exceeds 76,000 square kilometres, is crossed by 12 main aircraft flight routes.

Lithuanian airports

The State Enterprise Vilnius International Airport.  Vilnius airport has a sufficiently well developed infrastructure required for the provision of services to passengers and handling of goods, good prospects for development, possibilities to attract airlines companies and passengers. With respect to geographical deployment of the airports and division of market in Lithuania, Vilnius airport operates diplomatic, business, and tourism flights. The number of passengers is continuously increasing together with the expansion of economic and cultural relations of Lithuania with foreign countries. Such increase is fostered by active tourism, increasing number of joint ventures in Lithuania, expanding commercial and political contacts.

The State Enterprise Kaunas International Airport location is very convenient – 77 m above the sea level, the centre of the country, orientedalong the dominant direction of western winds. Such exclusive conditions create possibilities to the Kaunas airport to receive aircrafts even with minimum visibility meteorological conditions. Kaunas airport has the longest runway in Lithuania (3,250 m long) which can be operated without any restrictions. The reconstruction of the arrival premises of the passenger terminal has increased the throughput capacity of the passenger flow in the airport.

The State Enterprise Palanga International Airport    relates its future and prospects to the development of business and tourism of Klaipėda city and all the territory of Western Lithuania and South-Western Latvia, as well as to foreign investments.

Air Transport liberalisation

With Lithuania’s accession to the European Union the market of air transport was fully liberalised. The consequences of the liberalisation were best revealed in the sharp increase of activity indicators.

 The liberalisation impact on air transport revealed itself in other changes in the market:

1. The competition among carriers aggravated.

2. Carriage rates decreased.

3. The number of flights and passengers increased. 


Atnaujinta: 2011-08-10 10:34:19