newstodate.aero
Oct 02, 2009 (newstodate): Lithuania's Kaunas Airport is relieved by latest the indications about its sustained future development.
As earlier reported by newstodate, the Lithuanian ministry of transportation is currently finalizing its report on the country's future airport infrastructure, defining the roles of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports.
-Is it well-known that the plan soon to be released details five scenarios for the future of of Lithuania's airports, including Kaunas. For some reason, however, the public focus has been only on the "worst-case scenario" that might entail the closing-down of all other airports than Vilnius, says Arijandas Sliupas, Kaunas Airport general director.
-This negative focus has done much harm and made the general public as well as city authorities worried about the future. For no reason, rally.
-I still envisage the role of Kaunas Airport as a center for low-cost operations as well as air cargo, while the country will need Vilnius Airport to fulfill the role as the capital airport.
-We have just learned that Latvia's Riga Airport will lower its airport charges to low-cost levels. Hopefully Vilnius Airport will not feel obliged to follow suit in order to compete with the neighbor. Legacy carriers will prefer to operate into capital airports, and there should be no reason for Vilnius Airport to refrain from collecting charges that legacy carriers are willing to pay. That would mean an unnecessary shortfall of revenues.
-We are now awaiting the final conclusions about the country's future airport infrastructure. But we are encouraged by the comforting remarks by the minister of transportation supporting a sustained role for also Kaunas and Palanga, says mr Sliupas.
As earlier reported by newstodate, the Lithuanian ministry of transportation is currently finalizing its report on the country's future airport infrastructure, defining the roles of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports.
-Is it well-known that the plan soon to be released details five scenarios for the future of of Lithuania's airports, including Kaunas. For some reason, however, the public focus has been only on the "worst-case scenario" that might entail the closing-down of all other airports than Vilnius, says Arijandas Sliupas, Kaunas Airport general director.
-This negative focus has done much harm and made the general public as well as city authorities worried about the future. For no reason, rally.
-I still envisage the role of Kaunas Airport as a center for low-cost operations as well as air cargo, while the country will need Vilnius Airport to fulfill the role as the capital airport.
-We have just learned that Latvia's Riga Airport will lower its airport charges to low-cost levels. Hopefully Vilnius Airport will not feel obliged to follow suit in order to compete with the neighbor. Legacy carriers will prefer to operate into capital airports, and there should be no reason for Vilnius Airport to refrain from collecting charges that legacy carriers are willing to pay. That would mean an unnecessary shortfall of revenues.
-We are now awaiting the final conclusions about the country's future airport infrastructure. But we are encouraged by the comforting remarks by the minister of transportation supporting a sustained role for also Kaunas and Palanga, says mr Sliupas.