After Finnair canceled its evening flight to Vilnius, the Lithuanian government offered airlines incentives and discounts for transferring flights to Kaunas, trying to mitigate the impact of disruptions at the capital's airport due to Belarusian smuggling balloons.
After the Finnish airline Finnair temporarily canceled one evening flight between Helsinki and Vilnius, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that the government is offering airlines discounts and favorable conditions due to disruptions at Vilnius Airport, but the decisions on how to respond are made by the companies themselves.
"To date, we have offered preferential and better conditions for transferring night flights to Kaunas Airport. Companies are considering this option; some companies remain at Vilnius Airport as airlines decide whether to relocate or stay. Some are staying, while others are seriously considering the possibility of moving to Kaunas," Šimonytė told reporters on Thursday.
It was previously reported that due to recent repeated disruptions at Vilnius Airport caused by smuggled weather balloons from Belarus, Finnair announced the cancellation of its evening flight to Vilnius from Wednesday until the end of February next year.
According to Tadas Vasiliauskas, a representative of the Lithuanian airports operator Lietuvos oro uostai (LTOU), the airline's decision concerns only one flight, while regular flights to Helsinki will continue to operate daily. Vasiliauskas stated that in recent days, Lithuanian airports have been in contact with all airlines operating flights to Lithuania, organizing meetings to discuss specific situations and opportunities.
The CEO of Lietuvos oro uostai, Simonas Bartkus, previously stated that negotiations are underway with airlines not only about redirecting arriving planes to Kaunas but also about more frequent departures from this airport. According to him, Lietuvos oro uostai promises to incentivize airlines to fly from Kaunas by offering lower fees.
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