Lithuanian Airports’ Growth Goes Hand in Hand with Care for Every Passenger

On Tuesday, Lithuanian Airports hosted its traditional annual meeting with leaders from Lithuanian organizations and associations representing people with individual needs. For the third year in a row, the event showcased recent changes aimed at improving the comfort of every passenger and presented services that assist travelers with individual needs.

“The right to travel is the right to live fully. Therefore, we must ensure that every person with individual needs can move freely, comfortably, and with dignity. Today, we are not only talking about infrastructure or technology, but about an attitude — one that starts with a simple question: how will this help a person?” said Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Roderikas Žiobakas.

CEO of Lithuanian Airports, Simonas Bartkus, noted that a lot has changed since the previous year’s event, with many improvements initiated through cooperation with organizations and associations representing thousands of people.

“We are proud to ensure that at Lithuanian Airports every passenger — regardless of their individual needs — can travel safely, comfortably, and with dignity. We’ve observed a consistent increase in the number of passengers with various individual needs using our airports. We invite all travelers with individual needs to take advantage of our free assistance services and, most importantly, to request assistance in advance — this helps us provide an even smoother and calmer travel experience,” said S. Bartkus.

According to Lithuanian Airports data, Vilnius Airport serves between 30 and 50 passengers with individual needs every day. Bartkus emphasized that direct communication with organization representatives helps identify specific needs and details crucial to improving passenger experience. Event participants shared insights and recommendations that help Lithuanian Airports develop future progress plans and implement practical solutions.

Participants also learned about the ongoing development of strategically important infrastructure projects at Lithuanian Airports: the reconstruction of Kaunas Airport is nearing completion, the old part of Vilnius Airport is being renovated and will open new passenger areas in 2026, and the design process for the new arrivals terminal at Vilnius Airport has begun. Presenting these developments, Bartkus noted that meeting passengers’ needs requires complex solutions that must be implemented not only within terminals but also in airport access areas and service delivery.

Growing Trust

In the first half of 2025 alone, about 10,000 passengers used special assistance services across Lithuanian Airports — a 25% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Rapid growth has been particularly noticeable at Kaunas Airport, which often welcomes medical tourism passengers visiting Kaunas Clinics and other healthcare facilities.

Bartkus noted that although the demand for assistance services continues to grow, many travelers flying for health-related reasons still choose to travel without requesting special assistance — usually accompanied by family members. Thus, the total number of passengers in this category is even higher.

Ensuring Support and Promoting Inclusion

All three airports in Lithuania are equipped with assistance call buttons, clearly marked waiting areas, special wheelchairs, accessible toilets, lifts, and adapted vehicles. These measures are not only technical but also reflect a set of values — creating an environment where every traveler feels welcome, understood, and cared for.

Lithuanian Airports provide free special assistance services to any passenger with individual needs who requests them. To ensure maximum convenience, passengers with reduced mobility or other individual needs are encouraged to request assistance in advance after purchasing their flight ticket — either through the airline or the travel agency where the ticket was bought. Ideally, this should be done when booking the ticket, or at least 48 hours before the scheduled flight.

Bartkus added that Lithuanian Airports staff continuously participate in training to improve their skills in assisting passengers facing various challenges or questions — from arrival at the airport to boarding or disembarking, and from the aircraft seat to exiting the airport area.

Lithuanian Airports also remain active participants in the international social initiative “Hidden Disabilities Sunflower”, which helps identify passengers with invisible individual needs and ensures they receive appropriate and empathetic assistance. This project represents another step toward greater inclusion, understanding, and community spirit.