Construction of new departures terminal at Vilnius Airport completed as Lithuanian Airports Present Operational Strategy Through 2028

Lithuanian Airports present operational strategy through 2028

On 23 September, the updated operational strategy of Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) up to 2028 was officially presented, along with which the airports' representatives also announced the completion of the construction of the new departure terminal at Vilnius Airport, with the remaining works to be carried out on the installation and testing of the equipment inside the terminal before its opening in February 2025.

"The coming years will be crucial for the development of the infrastructure of Lithuanian airports to increase passenger handling capacity and to reach a whole new level of service quality. Vilnius Airport will be the first to demonstrate this qualitative leap, with its new departure terminal soon to not only handle double the number of passengers but also provide a completely new level of travel experience thanks to state-of-the-art technology. We are therefore consistently pursuing our goal of raising the standard of Lithuanian airports to the next level so that travelling through the new gateway will be as comfortable as possible," said Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis.

Strategy focuses on partnerships and contribution to the country's economic growth

The new LTOU operational strategy is based on two key objectives - promoting the development of sustainable partnerships and the contribution of the airport ecosystem to the Lithuanian economy.

"For our aviation, commercial and institutional partners, we aim to create an environment that enables consistent, sustainable growth. Much of the change we seek over the four-year period will be related to the planned expansion of airport infrastructure. We want these investments to have a direct impact both on improving the passenger experience and the overall ability to serve more passengers, and to provide a platform for businesses to expand their operations at our three international airports. In the coming years, we will see that the airport space is changing dramatically, and in this process our focus will be on the highest quality bar, which we want to achieve together with our partners," commented Simonas Bartkus, Head of the LIA, on the strategy's ambitions. 

Among the strategically important areas of LTOU's activities are not only infrastructure development, but also improving the quality of air transport, refining a balanced business model, improving passenger experience, managing potential business risks and ensuring sustainability in operations.

According to the CEO of LTOU, the next few years will be focused on digital transformation, which will encompass the passenger experience, more efficient management of the organization, and many other processes that almost all passengers at the airport come into contact with. 

"A significant proportion of processes at airports are already increasingly digitalized and automated, and this proportion will only increase in the coming period. From the automation of baggage systems, self-service options, flow management to aviation security screening or the ordering and management of ancillary services, we are planning major changes in many areas that will allow us to accumulate new competencies, which is why we see this ambition as one of the important connecting denominators," says Bartkus. 

LTOU representatives emphasize that in order to achieve the goals set out in the new strategy, it will be necessary to create and maintain a modern system of staff competency development, invest in maintaining the values and culture of the organization. 

Construction work on the departure terminal completed 

Alongside the presentation of the new LTOU strategy, the official completion of the construction of the new departure terminal at Vilnius Airport was announced. The last remaining phase, until the end of January 2025, will be dedicated to the deployment of the remaining technologies, physical equipment and the testing of the entire terminal (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT)). 

"We completed the construction work about a few weeks ahead of schedule. Perhaps the most important goal for the coming period is to prepare all the new systems for the loads that the new terminal will face under realistic operating conditions, testing all the technologies both individually and as part of the overall system, so that we can be ready to put the new departure terminal into operation in early February next year," said the Head of LTOU. 

According to Bartkus, once the testing of the departure terminal is completed and it is open to passengers, the next stage of Vilnius Airport's conversion will be ahead. It will include the re-planning and modification of the old terminal areas, which will allow for a significant expansion of commercial activities and will provide passengers with more opportunities to access a wider range of services.

"We plan to start the conversion of the existing terminals around mid-2025. As the entire departure function will have already been transferred from the old terminal to the new terminal, we will continue the changes at the airport, which will be aimed at growing our capacity to provide more space for commercial services and to offer more convenience to passengers," says Bartkus. 

According to the CEO, the conversion of the old terminals will last until the end of 2026. In parallel, the planning and construction of the new arrivals terminal will be carried out, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2028.