Lithuania plans new flag carrier

Lithuania’s government intends to establish a new national airline later this year or early in 2021. The ministry of transport and communications says it will “initiate establishment of a virtual Lithuanian national airline” to restore air links from the Baltic state “in a post-Covid-19 situation”, without reliance on external operators. A new national airline will enable the government to “adapt more flexibly to the new demands of the Lithuanian air connectivity… thus minimising dependence on the constantly changing strategies of the foreign air carriers”, the ministry argues. It says the project will “most certainly” involve private-sector partnership, but “to which extent remains to be seen”. Noting a “highly fluid situation with the pandemic” and the “complexity” of establishing an airline, the ministry adds: “We are still in the early stage of defining which possible solution could be optimal for Lithuania… All options are still on the table.”<br/>