Vilnius Airport signs with Airport Coordination UK to manage its slots
Contract commences for flights from March 2019 as passenger numbers grow to 4.5 million p.a
Vilnius Airport, Lithuania, has contracted with Airport Coordination Ltd, UK for schedules facilitation following a competitive tender. The contract commences for flights from the end of March, 2019, coinciding with the IATA summer timetable. Vilnius Airport instigated a move toward slot allocation as it swiftly moves to becoming an IATA Level 2 airport. It handled 3.8 million passengers last year, 3.3 million of them travelling on scheduled routes.
It has already seen a 17% traffic increase during the first half of 2018, compared with the corresponding period in 2017 and is on course to carry 4.7 million passengers by year end, equivalent to a 24% growth versus 2018.
Welcoming the new partnership with ACL, Dainius Ciuplys, Director of Vilnius Airport commented: “We are delighted to start collaborating with a strong and experienced partner, Airport Coordination Limited. They will help us with our primary aim, which is to manage flight peaks and maximise the infrastructure of the airport, enabling us to deliver the best service for our passengers. ACL will help us to negotiate with airlines on take-off and landing slots to achieve the best result.”
“Vilnius Airport is introducing slot allocation at a time when existing airlines add frequency. The Baltics is a strong region for air traffic, experiencing popularity for travel – for tourism and business. We are looking forward to working with this dynamic, forward-thinking airport in Lithuania,” stated ACL’s Managing Director Mike Robinson.
This summer Vilnius Airport is supporting 60 scheduled routes, the majority of them year-round, with passenger growth led by low cost carriers Ryanair, Wizz Air and legacy airlines LOT, airBaltic, Finnair and Turkish Airlines, among others. This winter it welcomes additional new scheduled services to Amman, Marrakech and Treviso. This May Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines introduced flights to Astana.
Vlinius Airport at World Routes in China
The move into schedules facilitation comes just ahead of Vilnius Airport’s return to World Routes 2018 during 15th to 18th September in Guangzhou, China, the premier networking event between airlines and airports around the world. Their participation will be headed by Aurimas Stikliunas, Head of Aviation Services at Lithuanian Airports.
Vilnius Airport, which can trace its beginnings back to 1932, is investing for future growth. Following a reconstruction of its runway last year (where for 35 days flights were diverted to sister Kaunas Airport), the airport is improving the main passenger terminal, originally built in 1954. From this autumn passengers will enjoy a more expansive commercial zone and passengers will experience faster and more convenient services, together with a wider range of goods and services. The airport currently features two terminals; 28 check-in desks, seven security lines; 11 boarding gates and six jet bridges.
About Airport Coordination Ltd
ACL is the world’s first independent slot coordinator, and is headquartered in Staines, Middlesex, near London Heathrow Airport. It supports 39 airports worldwide, including 24 London and regional airports in the UK; Dublin, Cork and Shannon in the Republic of Ireland; Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and Wellington in New Zealand; Dubai International and Dubai World Central; Poland’s Poznan and Warsaw Airports, Luxembourg Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Media contact
Alison Chambers, Emerald Media
Tel: +44(0) 1420 560094
Email Alison.chambers@emeraldmedia.co.uk