Vilnius Airport lies just 30 kilometres from the Belarusian border. Over the past two weeks, it has been forced to close five times due to smuggling balloons launched from Belarus, which has revived ideas for building a new, mega airport deeper inside the country.
A 900-page study titled Air Transport Development Opportunities was prepared in 2009. Its main recommendation was to build a new, modern airport with convenient infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of passengers.
The proposed location was about 50 kilometres from Vilnius, towards the centre of Lithuania, so it would be easily accessible to residents of Kaunas and the southern and central regions of the country.
The study, however, remained only on paper. The idea resurfaced in 2019, when then-Transport Minister Rokas Masiulis suggested that, due to the growing number of passengers, Lithuania should again consider building a new airport between Vilnius and Kaunas.
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“We have to monitor passenger flows, and if they continue to grow as they did last year and in the first months of this year, we will have no other choice – we will need a bigger airport. In that case, the plan would be to build a new airport between Vilnius and Kaunas. Close to Vilnius, because it is Lithuania’s main attraction hub, and near Kaunas for good railway connections,” said Masiulis.
At the time, officials said construction could begin in 2025 and be completed between 2030 and 2035. The then-head of Lithuanian Airports, Marius Gelžinis, estimated the project’s cost at between €800 million and €1 billion.
Although studies mentioned possible locations, such as Žasliai near Kaunas, the idea never materialised. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic drastically reduced air travel demand and forced the aviation sector to focus on survival rather than expansion.
In recent years, Lithuanian airports also invested more than €100 million in infrastructure upgrades.
Vilnius Airport saw the reconstruction of the taxiways €34 million), a new VIP terminal (€3.7 million) and a new departures terminal (around €70 million), and will soon see work begin on a new arrivals terminal (around €60 million).
Meanwhile, Palanga Airport had its runway and taxiway renewed and Kaunas saw an expansion to its passenger terminal and carried out other works (€33 million in total).
By 2030, once all planned upgrades are completed, the combined capacity of the three airports – Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga – is expected to reach 10 million passengers (6.6 million were served in 2024). There are also plans for future expansion to handle up to 17 million passengers.
No point in moving airports
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) lecturer at the Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute, Vincas Šnirpūnas, does not believe that building a new airport slightly further from Vilnius would solve the balloon problem.
“We will not solve our problems with our neighbour by moving the airport 50 or 100 kilometres further away. Especially since we’ve already seen that Kaunas Airport was also affected. Yes, we are very close to Belarus, which doesn’t help us react quickly. But efforts should be made to neutralise the balloons immediately in the border area,” Šnirpūnas said.
Civil Aviation Association (CAVIA) board chair Inga Duglas also believes that moving strategic infrastructure would bring no benefit, and that there are other investment priorities in the aviation sector.
“Given Lithuania’s size and its neighbours, not just Belarus, the idea of a single new airport is unlikely to make sense or solve the situation. Balloons reach Kaunas as well, and Palanga Airport is close to Kaliningrad.
Therefore, I think now is not the right time for such an idea – it would not solve the problem we are facing,” she told LRT.lt.
She is also sceptical about the idea of making Kaunas the country’s main airport.
“I think we need to assess all possible threats and have plans to manage them, rather than immediately pursuing ideas to relocate strategic infrastructure, which would affect the existing ecosystem. I would also refrain from supporting this idea,” Duglas said.
Officials remain sceptical
In a comment sent to LRT.lt, the Transport Ministry said it is not considering having a single, mega airport.
“The ministry is not considering or planning such changes. The focus is currently on modernising and improving the infrastructure of existing air gateways – Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports – to ensure convenient, safe and efficient air transport connections,” the ministry said in its response.
Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) also said it is not considering the construction of a new airport.
“At present, the possibility of building a new airport is not being evaluated. We are working under a three-airport development strategy,” LTOU said in its response.
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