Two ministries and seven municipalities of the Klaipėda region have agreed to work towards increasing traffic in Palanga Airport so as to attract more tourism to western Lithuania.
The agreement, signed by the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Economy, and the Klaipėda Region Association, spells out the goal of having at least two more destinations reachable from the country’s third airport.
“Our common goal is to mobilise funding for the supply of flights and, most importantly, for the demand, so that more passengers use them. The recently renovated Palanga International Airport has great potential, and we can expect at least two additional strategically important destinations here,” Communications Minister Marius Skuodis said in a statement.
Economy Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė said that the agreement was important for promoting inbound tourism.
“We have set an ambitious target to increase the share of value added in tourism to 4.5 percent by 2030, and we are actively looking for new destinations and partnerships to ensure the growth of this sector,” she said.
The agreement states that ministries should seek public funding to promote flights to Palanga. They would also commit to adding two new destinations.
It was also agreed that Klaipėda region municipalities will be able to decide which route is most needed, choose a carrier and sign a contract.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) undertook to draw up a plan for the development and expansion of Palanga International Airport for the next three years, including measures to attract new airlines and to create a system of discounts on airport charges.
The Klaipėda Region Association has committed to promote the visibility of Palanga Airport and Klaipėda County.
Klaipėda City Municipality approved the agreement at the end of July.
The city’s mayor, Arvydas Vaitkus, told BNS that the region’s businesses need connections to German cities such as Hamburg and Frankfurt, as well as the Polish capital Warsaw.
Palanga currently offers connections to Amsterdam, Riga, Oslo, Copenhagen, Dublin, and London.
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