“airBaltic is already our partner and the third largest carrier in Lithuanian airports. Four of their planes are based in Lithuania overnight: 3 in Vilnius and one in Palanga. Two planes in Vilnius are fully dedicated to direct flights other than to Riga and Tallinn,” Bartkus told the news agency ELTA in an interview.
Bartkus says Lithuanian Airports is willing to have more airBaltic jets in Lithuania. According to him, airBaltic could provide more direct flight opportunities as it flies to Amsterdam, Paris and Munich, and cooperates with other major carriers that are not themselves interested in flying to Lithuania. Therefore, he sees potential for 5 or 7 airBaltic jets to be based in Lithuania, but politicians would have to decide if Lithuania should invest in airBaltic.
Earlier, Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis told news website vz.lt that Lithuania should consider purchasing airBaltic shares as the Latvian airline sees Lithuania as its domestic market and is already conducting numerous flights. According to him, the move would allow Lithuania to have a say in the company’s strategy and destinations.