newstodate.aero
Feb 26, 2016 (newstodate): June 2015 saw the launch of Aerohub KUN - a long-term project to establish Kaunas Airport as a center for aviation-related industries as well as a logistics hub in Lithuania serving the Baltic, Russian and E European markets.
As a first step, the infrastructure of Kaunas Airport has been upgraded and completed, and the next step will include connecting Kaunas Airport with Kaunas Free Economic Zone.
Among the driving forces and stake-holders behind Aerohub KUN is the Lithuanian logistics company Hoptrans with offices also in United Arab Emirates as well as Russia.
-It is no secret that Hoptrans have been working hard for developing Kaunas as a cargo airport in Europe, says Jan Hyttel, Hoptrans Member of the Board, a Danish national with a rich background in the industry and living in Lithuania since 1993.
-It is, however, no secret that our colleagues in Riga and Tallinn have the same intentions. But in our understanding we have a significant advantage due to our location in the Baltic south, granting significant savings in flying times on routes to and from North Asia including Beijing, Japan and South Korea, as well as better and faster road access to the markets.
-Lately, various changes in the air cargo industry have impacted the development, including the issue of lithium batteries. This will hopefully make it possible to develop a regular charter traffic again like the regular charter freighter traffic we managed for 18 months into Kaunas from Shanghai until five years ago.
-Earlier we thrived on Nokia's traffic together with Agility in the days of cell phone exports. Those days are gone. Now the focus is on e-trade logistics bringing in large and growing shipments of products from North Asia to Europe as well as not least Russia. This is where the growth potentials are today and in the future, and we are fully prepared to grow our share of this business.
-In contrast to west Europe, neither East Europe nor Russia has any cargo-dedicated aviation hub. It is our ambition to build on the favorable position of Kaunas Airport to fill this void, and we are indeed seeing convincing results already, says Mr Hyttel.
As a first step, the infrastructure of Kaunas Airport has been upgraded and completed, and the next step will include connecting Kaunas Airport with Kaunas Free Economic Zone.
Among the driving forces and stake-holders behind Aerohub KUN is the Lithuanian logistics company Hoptrans with offices also in United Arab Emirates as well as Russia.
-It is no secret that Hoptrans have been working hard for developing Kaunas as a cargo airport in Europe, says Jan Hyttel, Hoptrans Member of the Board, a Danish national with a rich background in the industry and living in Lithuania since 1993.
-It is, however, no secret that our colleagues in Riga and Tallinn have the same intentions. But in our understanding we have a significant advantage due to our location in the Baltic south, granting significant savings in flying times on routes to and from North Asia including Beijing, Japan and South Korea, as well as better and faster road access to the markets.
-Lately, various changes in the air cargo industry have impacted the development, including the issue of lithium batteries. This will hopefully make it possible to develop a regular charter traffic again like the regular charter freighter traffic we managed for 18 months into Kaunas from Shanghai until five years ago.
-Earlier we thrived on Nokia's traffic together with Agility in the days of cell phone exports. Those days are gone. Now the focus is on e-trade logistics bringing in large and growing shipments of products from North Asia to Europe as well as not least Russia. This is where the growth potentials are today and in the future, and we are fully prepared to grow our share of this business.
-In contrast to west Europe, neither East Europe nor Russia has any cargo-dedicated aviation hub. It is our ambition to build on the favorable position of Kaunas Airport to fill this void, and we are indeed seeing convincing results already, says Mr Hyttel.