Vilnius remains the backwoods of Europe due to the reduced number of flights operating out of its airport. With the city having been given the name European Capital of Culture this year, the mayor of the capital is getting worried; there is an embarrassing possibility that the Capital of Culture events will be attended only by people living in Vilnius. Perhaps, Lietuvos Rytas adds cynically, they will be joined by the citizens of Panevezys and Kupiskis, many of whom celebrated New Year in the capital. flyLAL and airBaltic, which between them accounted for around 66 percent of the market, have narrowed the geography of their flights drastically, flyLAL now suspending its flights altogether. Flights between Vilnius and London, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Istanbul now no longer exist and those from Frankfurt, Milan and Munich have been reduced. Will tourists be willing to take connecting flights to Vilnius, waiting for ages at airports for those rare flights to the city?

 

Lietuvos Rytas, 2009-01-17