The Ministry of Transport and Communications has initiated a project of the Ministry and its agencies to carry out all the necessary procedures by the beginning of 2023 to enable the use of aircraft registered in Lithuania for flights to the USA. At the meeting in Washington, with the participation of representatives of the US Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation and Transportation Security Administration, an agreement has been reached regarding the whole assessment process, which encompasses economic, safety and security assessment, and its coordination.
“We have already initiated the necessary procedures in Lithuania and we are rapidly preparing to submit an application to the responsible US authorities to have the audit of the Lithuanian aviation sector carried out by the beginning of 2023 at the latest, which will enable aircraft registered in Lithuania to carry out flights to the USA. It would be a huge impetus for improving the business environment for the Lithuanian air companies and expanding the aviation business by providing even better and more favourable conditions for increasing the business volumes,” said Minister Skuodis at the meeting.
According to the Minister, the Lithuanian aviation sector has great potential and global interests. Lithuania aims to become the first among the Baltic States to have successfully carried out an FAA audit and other procedures of the US authorities and ready to provide the air companies registered in the country with the possibility to organise flights to the USA not only from Lithuania, but also from other countries in the world.
The United States FAA carries out an International Aviation Safety Assessment program in order to assess how foreign countries whose carriers intend to operate flights to the US territory implement the standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In preparation of the upcoming FAA audit, the Lithuanian Transport Competence Agency has been entrusted with carrying out the preparatory works in accordance with the principles of project management – to prepare and update the necessary procedures, rules, legal acts, to employ and train the necessary personnel, to submit an application for an FAA audit.
In order to start organising flights, it will also be necessary for the US Department of Transportation to carry out an economic assessment and for the US Transportation Security Administration to carry out a security assessment.
Once the project is implemented, it is expected that in a few years, at least a few Lithuanian air carriers will be able to start organising flights of aircraft registered in Lithuania to the USA. To ensure smooth implementation of the project, other state institutions will also be involved in the process.
Flights from Lithuania to the USA are currently organised by the companies whose aircraft are registered in other foreign countries.
