Lithuania should aim to raise its defence budget to 4% of GDP, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas stated, BNS reports. He said that this would allow Lithuania to maintain existing capabilities and acquire long-range air defence systems and combat helicopters. Earlier, President Gitanas Nauseda urged to raise defence spending to at least 3.5% of GDP. Lithuania’s…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, has signed a three-year wet lease agreement with Germany’s Lufthansa Group, LETA reports. Under the agreement, airBaltic will begin operating Lufthansa Group flights with up to 21 Airbus A220-300 aircraft in summer 2025. Previously, airBaltic has signed leasing agreements with Lufthansa Group companies, including SWISS and Discover Airlines. Meanwhile, media…
German airline Lufthansa may invest in Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, according to Bloomberg, LETA reports. Sources said that negotiations on the deal were still at an early stage. Earlier, German news agency dpa cited Lufthansa’s CEO, Jens Ritter, who said that the company was interested in another airline operating its shorter routes, LSM reported….
Latvia’s Transport Minister, Kaspars Briskens, has no intention to resign despite criticism of his communication, LSM reports. Earlier, President Edgars Rinkevics and Prime Minister Evika Silina criticised the minister’s messaging on the future of the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, and the Rail Baltica railway project. Speaking after a meeting with Briskens, Rinkevics said that…
The Latvian state is negotiating with a well-known strategic investor on the possible acquisition of a 10% stake in the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, according to LTV’s information, LSM reports. Klavs Vasks, chairman of airBaltic’s supervisory board, confirmed that the unnamed strategic investor could acquire a minority stake in the company. In 2023, Prudentia…
The Icelandic low-cost air carrier, Fly Play (PLAY), will increase the frequency of flights between Reykjavik and the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to twice a week as of the middle of May 2025, Lithuania’s state-owned airport operator, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU), announced, BNS reports. Currently, the company flies the route once a week. CEO Einar Örn…
Latvia’s Riga International Airport (RIX) served a total of 4.6 million passengers in the first eight months of 2024, which was 8% more than in the same period of 2023, LSM reports. The number of flights to and from Riga totalled 41,500. In August 2024 alone, the airport served 740,000 passengers, which was up 8%…
The National Public Prosecutor’s Office of Poland has named three Belarusian nationals suspects in the hijacking of a Ryanair flight in May 2021, BNS reports. The Belarusian Air Force forced the Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius in Lithuania to land in Minsk. Belarusian authorities then arrested two opposition activists onboard. The three suspects held…
Lithuania seeks to attract more flights to the seaside resort of Palanga, BNS reports. The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy, and the Klaipeda Region Association (AKR) have agreed to raise public funds for increasing traffic at Palanga International Airport (POU). AKR unites the seven municipalities in the Klaipeda county. The goal is to…