Lithuania has suspended a tender to establish regular direct flights between Vilnius and one of London’s three major airports after the sole bidder’s proposal was deemed economically unsustainable, the Transport Ministry said.
The tender was launched in late April after Polish carrier LOT Polish Airlines ended direct flights between Vilnius and London City Airport at the end of March. The tender was suspended in June, business news outlet Verslo Žinios reported.
The sole bidder proposed operating flights to London Gatwick Airport, but its business plan did not demonstrate that the route would be economically viable, the Transport Ministry told the news outlet.
“After assessing the proposal as a whole, it was determined that it did not meet the requirements set out in the selection conditions,” said Rūta Sinkevičiūtė, head of the Flight Development Department at Lithuanian Airports (LTOU), which operates the country’s three international airports.
The ministry said it was continuing to explore options for maintaining direct air links between Vilnius and London.
