newstodate.aero

Jun 05, 2023 (newstodate): London City Airport is an important destination on the monitor at Vilnius Airport that is now calling on airlines to place a bid on the route.
   Airlines can submit their bids until June 9, 2023, and a contract with the airline submitting the best offer for cooperation could be signed by September this year, with flight operations to commence by mid-autumn.
   -This is the first time that flights for communication in a strategic direction for Lithuania are initiated according to the risk-sharing partnership model. The City of London is the first to start the direction of flights, because it is important to ensure it for the business community and the development of tourism, says Marius Skuodis, Minister of Transport and Communications.
   The route is today operated six times per week by the Polish carrier with Embraer 190 aircraft leased from Nordic Aviation Capital - one of the few aircraft types to meet the strict operating requirements of London City Airport's short runway.
   Following a tender process, the route was launched on May 1, 2019,  stalled during the corona pandemic and reopened again from August 31, 2020.
   It was the first route operating under a unique EU-approved PSO contract where the actual state aid is contingent on number of bookings - more seats sold, less state aid, and when bookings exceed 92 percent of available seats, state aid will be zero.
   So far, flights by LOT are secured till September 30, 2023.