"Based on the market perspective, i.e. the number of inhabitants in Lithuania, one airport would be enough. Still, Lithuania's territory is large hence it's good to have three airports – people can choose which airport to use. However, it's a luxury, which we have to pay for ourselves. These infrastructures have to be maintained and airports require investment, which is expensive. The Latvians have one main airport. Latvia's market and its geography are similar as is the number of inhabitants but they do well with just one airport," Gediminas Almantas told the LRT Radio on Friday morning.
Maintenance of three airports was complicated in financial terms, he said.
"If an airport handles less than 1.5 million passengers a year, it is loss-making. There are two airports in Lithuania whose existence and operations need to be considered. However, such a structure can operate within a common system. If we have three airports that are part of the same system, we can afford having them. If there was no such system, which was the case before, the airports of Kaunas and Palanga would find it very difficult to survive," Almantas said.
