Air Lithuania
| Company type | Joint Stock Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | September 13, 1991 |
| Defunct | November 2005 |
| Headquarters | Kaunas , Lithuania |
Area served | Regional (Lithuania and nearby international destinations) |
| Products | Scheduled and charter flights, cargo transport, aircraft leasing |
| Parent | Lithuanian Airlines (from August 1997) |
Air Lithuania () functioned as a regional airline headquartered in Kaunas, Lithuania, providing scheduled and charter flight operations, cargo transport, and aircraft leasing services. Its primary operational bases were Kaunas International Airport (KUN) and Palanga International Airport (PLQ).
History
Founded on 13 September 1991 through the transformation of an Aeroflot branch located in Kaunas into a state-owned enterprise, Air Lithuania commenced charter flight operations in February 1992. The airline introduced its inaugural scheduled route from Kaunas to Budapest in 1993. On 17 July 1995, it was converted into a Joint Stock Company. By August 1997, ownership of its shares had been transferred to the parent organization, Lithuanian Airlines.
In May 2004, Air Lithuania was purchased by Arijus, a Lithuanian company specializing in transport and logistics, which subsequently sold the airline to the UK-based World Aviation Capital. At that point, the airline carried liabilities estimated at approximately 20 million litas, while its gross annual revenue for 2004 was reported at 40 million litas. The company declared bankruptcy in November 2005, representing the first airline insolvency case in Lithuania.
Passenger numbers rose to 54,500 in 2004, reflecting a 24% growth compared to the previous year. The airline initially operated with Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft but later upgraded its fleet by leasing ATR 42 models.
Accidents and incidents
In December 2004, an ATR 42 aircraft operated by Air Lithuania on behalf of Lithuanian Airlines narrowly avoided disaster when it nearly collided with treetops during its approach to Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Services
As of October 2004, Air Lithuania's scheduled flights served the following routes: