Air Lithuania
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Air Lithuania
| image = Air Lithuania logo.png
| image_size = 200
| IATA = TT
| ICAO = KLA
| callsign = KAUNAS
| founded = 13 September 1991
| commenced =
| ceased = 23 November 2005
| hubs = Kaunas International Airport
| secondary_hubs = Palanga International Airport
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size = 3 (2005 est.)
| destinations = 10 (2005 est.)
| parent =
| company_slogan =
| headquarters = Kaunas, Lithuania
| key_people =
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.airlithuania.lt/Default.asp?DL=E airlithuania.lt]
}}
Air Lithuania ({{langx|lt|Aviakompanija Lietuva}}, literally: Air Company "Lithuania") was a regional airline based in Kaunas in Lithuania.[https://web.archive.org/web/20020806045559/http://www.airlithuania.lt/Default.asp?DL=E Home page]. Air Lithuania. 6 August 2002. Retrieved on 15 January 2010. It operated scheduled and charter flights, provided cargo services and aircraft rental. Its main bases were Kaunas International Airport (KUN) and Palanga International Airport (PLQ).
History
Air Lithuania was established as a state-owned company on 13 September 1991 after the reorganization of Aeroflot division in Kaunas. It started charter flights on 15 February 1992. The first scheduled flight was in February 1993 from Kaunas to Budapest. On 17 July 1995, it was reorganized from a state-owned company into a Joint Stock Company. In August 1997, the shares of Air Lithuania were transferred to the parent company Lithuanian Airlines.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
In May 2004, Air Lithuania was bought by Arijus, a Lithuanian transport and logistics company, and subsequently sold to World Aviation Capital, a British company.{{cite news|url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=8060690|title=Dalį sustojusios "Aviakompanijos Lietuva" skrydžių perims "Amber Air"|date=24 November 2005|work=DELFI|accessdate=8 May 2015}} At the time of the sale, the company had debts of approximately 20 million litas, while its annual gross income reached 40 million in 2004. The airline filed for bankruptcy in November 2005.{{cite web|url=http://kauno.diena.lt/dienrastis/kita/-rdquo-aviakompanija-lietuva-ant-zemes-nutupde-bankrotas-33058|title=KaunoDiena.lt - Tavo miesto naujienos|work=diena.lt|accessdate=8 May 2015}} It was the first airline bankruptcy in Lithuania.{{cite web|url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=8068496|title="Aviakompanijos Lietuva" klientų gelbėjimasis – jų pačių reikalas|date=24 November 2005|work=DELFI|accessdate=8 May 2015}}
In 2004 the airline carried 54,500 passengers (24% increase over 2003).{{cite web|url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=7865279|title="Aviakompanija Lietuva" papuolė į duobę|date=3 November 2005|work=DELFI|accessdate=8 May 2015}} At first, the airline used Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-40 planes, later leased ATR 42.
Accidents and incidents
In December 2004, the Air Lithuania ATR 42 operating for Lithuanian Airlines, touched tree tops and allegedly almost crashed at the approach to the Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv, Ukraine .{{cite web|url=http://www.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=5695168|title=Vos neįvykusios Lietuvos lėktuvo katastrofos Ukrainoje priežastys - kitais metais|date=22 December 2004|work=DELFI|accessdate=8 May 2015}}
Services
Air Lithuania operated the following services (as of October 2004):[https://web.archive.org/web/20041015074240/http://www.airlithuania.lt/?object=content&action=view&id=47 AB "Aviakompanija Lietuva" vasaros sezono tvarkaraštis] (archive)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.airlithuania.lt/ Air Lithuania] (archive)
{{Airlines of Lithuania}}
Category:Former Aeroflot divisions
Category:Defunct airlines of Lithuania
Category:Airlines established in 1991
Category:Airlines disestablished in 2005
Category:Lithuanian companies established in 1991
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