Lithuanian Airports’ 2022 Aviation Traffic Result

Lithuanian Airports’ 2022 Aviation Traffic Results: growth was recorded in all areas; the impact of the pandemic has ended.

Despite a slow start, 2022 was a year of extremely high activity at Lithuanian airports, with 5.35 million passengers handled, twice as many as in 2021, with nearly 2.47 million passengers handled. 

The airports also operated almost 51,000 flights, which is almost 48% more than the previous year. The aviation sector is said to have not only recovered last year but also entered a growth phase.

According to the representatives of Lithuanian Airports, in 2022 all three airports have managed to restore more than 80% of the pre-pandemic passenger numbers (in 2019), and Kaunas Airport has already reached the 2019 level, with the total number of regular flight routes even surpassing 2019.

Slow start and rapid growth

“The first quarter of 2022 was not the most desirable quarter for travellers, as the pandemic meant that there were a lot of additional checks and restrictions in place at the time, which had a negative impact on airports and the overall aviation market. However, from the second quarter onwards, activity picked up sharply and by the end of the year, Lithuanian Airports recorded a very strong recovery and, in some categories, even higher than before the pandemic. We have clearly seen that the growth potential and willingness to travel was not diminished by the challenges of the pandemic, and in many cases on the contrary - we have even seen an increased willingness to travel, which continues to this day,” said Tomas Zitikis, Head of Route Development of Lithuanian Airports, in his review of the past year.

 

According to him, in 2022, Palanga Airport was the most active airport in terms of flights and passenger numbers - passenger traffic grew more than three times compared to the previous year, and 65% more flights were handled in the airport. It is worth mentioning that in 2021, Palanga Airport did not operate flights for more than a month due to airfield reconstruction works.

 

According to the expert, Kaunas Airport was the most surprising last year. In April, it not only caught up with 2019 results, but also exceeded them, and this growth continued until the end of the year. Last year, Kaunas Airport handled as many as 1.16 million passengers, which is essentially the same total annual result as recorded in 2019 (99.8% of the pre-pandemic passenger traffic).

Destination growth surpassing 2019

Looking at the past year, it is important to mention the overall increase in the number of destinations. Last year, it surpassed the record year of 2019 and reached 98 destinations.

“We are constantly negotiating with our partners to offer passengers new and attractive destinations from Lithuanian airports. Last year, we were able to offer almost 100 direct destinations, compared to 92 destinations in 2019. This growth is the result of our consistent and ambitious work.” - says T. Zitikis. 

Royal HaskoningDHV to prepare master plans for future development of Lithuanian Airports

Lithuanian Airports has carried out an international public procurement procedure for the preparation of master plans and feasibility studies. The study, which will outline development options for the coming decades, will be prepared by Royal HaskoningDHV from the Netherlands. The contract is worth EUR 824 thousand (excluding VAT).  

 

“Among many other important insights for our entire airport network, the expert study will analyze development and modernization alternatives for today's Vilnius Airport arrivals terminal. The recommendations made by the consultants will help to decide on future actions related to the heritage sites. This is particularly important in the new context: we have a contractor for the new departure’s terminal, we are in the process of preparatory work, and the new facility, once operational, also implies the need for conversion of the other existing terminals. Therefore, when planning further development, we will have the opportunity to look at various scenarios on how to efficiently convert the existing infrastructure,” said Arnas Dūmanas, Head of the Operations and Infrastructure Department of Lithuanian Airports. 

 

According to him, this study will analyze not only the development opportunities and alternatives of Vilnius Airport, but also of other Lithuanian Airports, such as Kaunas and Palanga, as well as focusing on the specific strengths of the individual airports, flight expansion, and increasing the capacity of the passenger and cargo terminals. 

“Long-term development is our strategic goal, and we have consistently pursued it, even during the pandemic. Now we have a lot of work ahead of us to work with consultants to find the optimal long-term development solutions, helping experts to understand our specificities, which are present in every airport,” added A. Dūmanas 

After signing the contract with the winning company, a long-term network development study is planned to be prepared by the end of 2023, which will include, among other components, an analysis of accessibility (ground connections to airports and their modernization), infrastructure (modernization of existing passenger and freight terminals), and the environmental situation. The document will also provide a financial forecast for the long-term development period, an overview of the impact of airports on the national economy, and plans for the use of the land plots owned by Lithuanian Airports. 

Royal HaskoningDHV, winner of the procurement, advises airports around the world on long-term development, sustainable aviation and other aviation issues.

Lithuanian airports' aviation results for October 2022

Lithuanian airports' aviation results for October 2022

Aviation growth continues to rapidly catch up with the pre-pandemic (2019) results, with nearly 90% of passenger traffic and 80% of flight traffic restored this October. Last month, 548 000 passengers travelled through Lithuanian airports, 4 713 flights were handled, and cargo volumes grew. Kaunas Airport continues to demonstrate an exceptional rate of recovery and has outperformed some of the indicators for the same month in 2019.

According to the Route Development Manager of Lithuanian Airports, Tomas Zitikis, the growth in the number of passengers has been influenced by the rapid increase in charter flights.

“From September to October, charter passenger traffic grew by 15%. This year's charter traffic is 4% higher than in the same period a year ago. One of the main factors behind the growth in October is the school holidays and the possibility of travelling for longer holidays,” said T. Zitikis.

He also mentioned that Kaunas Airport's recovery momentum continues to stand out. For the seventh month in a row, the airport has outperformed its 2019 numbers.

“In October, passenger traffic at Kaunas Airport grew by 6.8% compared to the same period in 2019. We managed to restore 98% of flight traffic and cargo traffic grew 1.5 times.” - T. Zitikis commented.

Freight transport shows the fastest growth

As T. Zitikis points out, all airports are experiencing growth in both flight and passenger traffic. However, the fastest recovery is seen among cargo traffic.

“Freight transport, like travelling, is seasonal. However, it is important to understand that passenger traffic peaks in Lithuanian airports in the summer, while cargo traffic peaks in the winter. In October this year, we handled 28% more cargo than in the same period in 2019. This is due to high demand for e-commerce. Typically, it drops slightly in the summer period, but demand picks up in the run-up to the major holidays. Seasonality is also reflected in this year's aviation figures.” - stated T. Zitikis.

Lithuanian airports handled almost 2 000 tonnes of cargo last month: almost 1 500 tonnes at Vilnius Airport, just over 400 tonnes at Kaunas Airport and 118 tonnes at Palanga Airport. In comparison, in the same period of 2019, slightly more than 1,500 tonnes of cargo were transported through Lithuanian airports: almost 1 300 tonnes at Vilnius Airport, 262 tonnes at Kaunas Airport and 0.1 tonnes at Palanga. Last year, the total volume of cargo transported was 1.7 thousand tonnes. The total cargo transported through Vilnius Airport was 1.3 thousand tonnes, 453 tonnes in Kaunas and 0.02 tonnes in Palanga airport.

Recovery at Lithuanian Airports

According to T. Zitikis, looking at the pace of the aviation recovery, growth continues to increase at all air gateways. In addition, the number of destinations offered has almost surpassed the pre-pandemic level: since the beginning of the year, Lithuanian airports have already offered 85 destinations, compared to 82 destinations in the same period last year and 89 in 2019.

In October, Vilnius Airport managed to restore 84% of its pre-pandemic passenger traffic. Last month, 406 000 passengers travelled through this gateway. In comparison, 485 000 passengers travelled through Vilnius Airport in the same period in 2019 and 287 000 last year. In October, almost 3.5 thousand flights were handled, compared to almost 4.5 thousand in the same period in 2019 and 3.1 thousand last year.

Kaunas Airport outperforms the pre-pandemic results: in October, slightly more than 115 thousand passengers travelled through Kaunas Airport gates and 924 flights were handled. In the same period in 2019, 108 000 passengers and 944 flights were handled, while in October 2021, more than 76 000 passengers and 846 flights were handled.

Palanga Airport is not far behind. Last month, Palanga Airport welcomed more than 26 000 passengers and handled 322 flights. In comparison, in 2019, almost 29 000 passengers travelled through the airport and 477 flights were serviced, compared to 3 800 passengers and 95 flights in the same period last year, however, it is important to note that at that time, reconstruction works on the runway were underway at the seaside airport.

Lithuanian airports' aviation results for October 2022

Lithuanian airports' aviation results for October 2022

 Photo   Lithuanian Airports

Aviation growth continues to rapidly catch up with the pre-pandemic (2019) results, with nearly 90% of passenger traffic and 80% of flight traffic restored this October. Last month, 548 000 passengers travelled through Lithuanian airports, 4 713 flights were handled, and cargo volumes grew. Kaunas Airport continues to demonstrate an exceptional rate of recovery and has outperformed some of the indicators for the same month in 2019.

According to the Route Development Manager of Lithuanian Airports, Tomas Zitikis, the growth in the number of passengers has been influenced by the rapid increase in charter flights.

“From September to October, charter passenger traffic grew by 15%. This year's charter traffic is 4% higher than in the same period a year ago. One of the main factors behind the growth in October is the school holidays and the possibility of travelling for longer holidays,” said T. Zitikis.

He also mentioned that Kaunas Airport's recovery momentum continues to stand out. For the seventh month in a row, the airport has outperformed its 2019 numbers.

“In October, passenger traffic at Kaunas Airport grew by 6.8% compared to the same period in 2019. We managed to restore 98% of flight traffic and cargo traffic grew 1.5 times.” - T. Zitikis commented.

Freight transport shows the fastest growth

As T. Zitikis points out, all airports are experiencing growth in both flight and passenger traffic. However, the fastest recovery is seen among cargo traffic.

“Freight transport, like travelling, is seasonal. However, it is important to understand that passenger traffic peaks in Lithuanian airports in the summer, while cargo traffic peaks in the winter. In October this year, we handled 28% more cargo than in the same period in 2019. This is due to high demand for e-commerce. Typically, it drops slightly in the summer period, but demand picks up in the run-up to the major holidays. Seasonality is also reflected in this year's aviation figures.” - stated T. Zitikis.

Lithuanian Airports witness double-digit growth in September....

September aviation traffic continued to grow, with double-digit growth in charter passenger numbers

Photo Lithuanian Airports

Aviation growth has continued unabated at the start of autumn, with traffic and passenger numbers close to pre-pandemic rates. In September, Lithuanian airports handled just over 531,000 passengers and 4.7 thousand flights. In the same period in 2019, 603,000 passengers and 5.7 thousand flights were handled.

In total, during the first nine months of 2022 (January-September) Lithuanian airports have already handled over 4 million passengers. In 2021, 1.5 million passengers were handled in the same period, and in 2019, 4.9 million passengers were recorded in the first nine months.

According to Tomas Zitikis, Route Development Manager at Lithuanian Airports, the recovery of aviation did not stop in autumn, and in some cases the indicators grew.

“This September, we managed to restore 88% of the total passenger traffic level as of the same month in 2019. Perhaps one category of passenger traffic worth highlighting is that charter alone is already outperforming 2019, with a 17% increase in charter passengers over the past month when comparing August and September.” - said T. Zitikis.

According to him, this rapid growth is due to the increased interest in travel to Turkey. Temperatures are milder in autumn and there are better offers from tour companies.

Looking at the number of existing destinations, T. Zitikis said that in September this year passengers at Lithuanian airports could choose from 89 direct routes. In comparison, in the same period in 2019, 92 destinations were available to passengers.

Growth across all airports