newstodate.aero
Aug 06, 2013 (newstodate): Once seeing loads of ex-China exports for transit to Russia, Lithuania's Kaunas Airport has lost its share of the cargo business entirely.
In 2012, the airport handled only 3,364 tonnes of cargo, and during the first half of 2013, volumes are 1,071 tonnes only, comprising 871 tonnes of mail and 201 tonnes of cargo.
By the end of September 2010, the Lithuanian logistics company Hoptrans launched its weekly IL-96-400T freighter flight operated by Polet Airlines from Shanghai to Kaunas Airport, connecting with the provider's own road feeder services from Kaunas to final points of destination in the Baltic, Central and Eastern European countries.
Polet Airlines was later replaced by Jade Cargo, and from August 27, 2011, Lufthansa Cargo stepped in by taking over the Jade Cargo freighter from Kaunas to Frankfurt.
This service, however, stopped shortly before Christmas 2011 and with Jade Cargo folding its wings in 2012 the service was never revived.
The airport may rather see its future with with the gradual build-up of an aviation-related business environment around the airport.
Thus, Ryanair has built a 3,500 sq m maintenance and service hangar at Kaunas airport, and construction of a second hangar is underway.
The helicopter company Aviabaltika is building a hangar on a 19,000 sq.m. site leased for a period of 40 years, and in Q3, 2013, the Lithuanian MRO provider FL Technics will open its new 8,000 sq m facility at Kaunas Airport, designed for maintenance of short and medium range aircraft as well as for long-range wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Together with the nearby Kaunas Free Economic Zone by the Baltic Kaunas Harbor, the aviation-related businesses may generate a future need for air transport of cargo shipments as well.
In 2012, the airport handled only 3,364 tonnes of cargo, and during the first half of 2013, volumes are 1,071 tonnes only, comprising 871 tonnes of mail and 201 tonnes of cargo.
By the end of September 2010, the Lithuanian logistics company Hoptrans launched its weekly IL-96-400T freighter flight operated by Polet Airlines from Shanghai to Kaunas Airport, connecting with the provider's own road feeder services from Kaunas to final points of destination in the Baltic, Central and Eastern European countries.
Polet Airlines was later replaced by Jade Cargo, and from August 27, 2011, Lufthansa Cargo stepped in by taking over the Jade Cargo freighter from Kaunas to Frankfurt.
This service, however, stopped shortly before Christmas 2011 and with Jade Cargo folding its wings in 2012 the service was never revived.
The airport may rather see its future with with the gradual build-up of an aviation-related business environment around the airport.
Thus, Ryanair has built a 3,500 sq m maintenance and service hangar at Kaunas airport, and construction of a second hangar is underway.
The helicopter company Aviabaltika is building a hangar on a 19,000 sq.m. site leased for a period of 40 years, and in Q3, 2013, the Lithuanian MRO provider FL Technics will open its new 8,000 sq m facility at Kaunas Airport, designed for maintenance of short and medium range aircraft as well as for long-range wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Together with the nearby Kaunas Free Economic Zone by the Baltic Kaunas Harbor, the aviation-related businesses may generate a future need for air transport of cargo shipments as well.