Numbers of cargo flights at Kaunas Airport to increase by a quarter during Christmas holiday period

Christmas gifts and greetings have already been travelling around the world. In order to deliver surprises to addressees as soon as possible, one more cargo aircraft will transport them to and from Kaunas Airport until the Christmas season. During the Christmas period four additional flights per week are planned for transporting parcels in Kaunas. The total number of cargo flights is estimated to increase by a quarter.

In order to reinforce the current capacities, the flights of this additional aircraft to and from Kaunas Airport have been planned from the middle of November until December 21. There is one flight per day from Tuesday until Friday. The aircraft connects Kaunas and Germany, Cologne Bonn Airport and for this reason various parcels reach Central Europe much faster. Due to the convenient infrastructure, the freight flow to and from Kaunas is intensive all year round and it hits its peak during the festive season. Undoubtedly, this period of the year has utmost importance for every freight company and that is why solutions are sought how to provide partners with the best conditions for their efficient activities.

“For our part we seek to ensure timely and smooth processes at the airport, including appropriate service of aircrafts and all the other necessary facilities. Kaunas Airport has experience in servicing even the biggest cargo aircrafts such as Boeing B747. Thus, the second largest air gateway in the country is completely ready for intensive freight transport. The fact that our partners tend to increase the number of flights confirms once again that our competences and potential are trusted,” states Karolis Matulaitis, Head of Kaunas Airport.

Vaidotas Lašas, Director of UAB “Skubios siuntos”, authorised representative of express shipping company UPS in Lithuania, agrees that the winter festive season is perhaps the most intensive period of the year. The peak of Christmas in UPS starts immediately after Thanksgiving Day when the sales of Black Friday start. This year UPS has plans to hire about 100 thousand additional employees for the Christmas period to ensure smooth movement of parcels.

“We are getting ready for the Christmas season in 2018 not only by expanding our car fleet and hiring new employees but also by increasing the number of flights to Kaunas Airport. Already now two aircrafts with UPS parcels arrive in Kaunas every day and they both can carry more than 10 tons,” states V. Lašas.

Accordingly, Kaunas Airport estimates that the volumes of transported cargo will have reached 3 thousand tons by the end of this year. Three cargo aircrafts will fly to and from Kaunas Airport every working day until the Christmas season. During the week 15 round cargo flights are carried out and they are operated by two airlines: “Sprint Air Cargo” and “Sprint Air”. Cargoes reach Kaunas Airport by such express shipping companies as UPS and TNT.

The second largest air gateway in the country has a strategically convenient location. Central Europe and the Baltic region are within convenient distance. Cargo aircrafts arrive in Kaunas from Cologne Bonn Airport (Germany), Warsaw Chopin Airport (Poland) and Riga Airport (Latvia). The departure directions are the same.

About Kaunas Airport

Kaunas Airport belongs to the Lithuanian airport network that operates three airports in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga. During 2017, they serviced 5.2 million passengers and 55 thousand flights. During the winter season, 15 airlines organize direct flights in 65 regular directions to 56 cities in 26 countries. Based on the data of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Lithuanian Airports contribute to the Lithuania’s GDP by 2.5 percent.