Our Route Opportunities feature explores the latest unserved and underserved routes promoted through Routes 360, providing supporting information for airline network planners to consider and capitalize on.
Located just 6 km (3.7 mi.) from the Lithuanian capital’s UNESCO-listed old town, Vilnius Airport (VNO) is the country’s largest and busiest airport. As the primary gateway to Lithuania, VNO serves a mix of business, leisure, and VFR travelers in a rapidly growing economy. In 2024, the airport handled more than 4.8 million passengers, a 9% increase from the previous year, and just shy of the record-breaking number last set in 2019.
Operated by Lithuanian Airports, VNO currently offers regular flights to 75 destinations through partnerships with 14 airlines. In April 2024, the airport welcomed two new airline partners, Aegean Airlines, which launched a seasonal, 2X-weekly route to Athens, and PLAY, which launched a seasonal service to Reykjavik (KEF) with an initial once-weekly flight.
Last year’s aviation Summer season saw airBaltic launch three new routes: Hamburg (HAM), Lisbon (LIS), and Krakow (KRK), while in October, the carrier introduced new flights from VNO to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) and Sandefjord Torp Airport (TRF). The Latvian carrier continues to expand its presence at VNO, with plans to launch two new routes in its 2025 summer schedule - Prague, Czech Republic (PRG); and Tirana, Albania (TIA) .
Looking ahead, Israir Airlines is planning to begin a 2X-weekly service between VNO and Tel Aviv in April 2025, marking the airline’s debut at the Lithuanian airport. Additionally, Icelandic LCC PLAY plans to double its Reykjavik service to 2X-weekly beginning in May 2025. Furthermore, airBaltic will enhance its Vilnius to Amsterdam service to twice-daily, beginning this aviation Summer season. Also, Swiss International Air Lines will land in Vilnius every single day for the peak Summer months, offering 6X-weekly flights for the remainder of the Summer season. Finally, SAS Scandinavian Airlines will hop over from Copenhagen 26 times per week, or five times more than currently offered. Come October, Vilnius Airport is expecting to welcome yet another carrier – flydubai, which is planning to provide passengers access to a wide range of global connections via the United Arab Emirates.
Alongside its route expansion, VNO has invested in infrastructure improvements to support its growing passenger base and enhance Lithuania’s air connectivity. On Feb. 4, the new passenger departure terminal was officially opened, marking a major milestone for Lithuanian Airports that doubles VNO’s hourly passenger capacity, adopts the latest airport tech, and offers a better travel experience.
Following this, VNO is preparing for additional upgrades, including the planning and construction of a new Arrivals terminal, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
As a member of Routes 360, the only digital platform dedicated to route development, VNO is looking to expand its destination portfolio across Europe and North America. The airport has featured multiple route opportunities on its profile including key data on traffic demand.
Unserved:
- Prague Airport (PRG)
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
- Geneve Airport (GVA)
- New York John F.Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Budapest Airport (BUD)
- Madrid – Barajas Airport (MAD)
- Underserved:
- Brussels Airport (BRU)
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
- Berlin Brandenberg Airport (BER)
- Munich Airport (MUC)
- Zurich Airport (ZRH)
Discover the latest available routes and identify new business opportunities.
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