According to the air navigation service provider SE Oro navigacija, among major users of the Lithuanian airspace in January–June 2018, the Latvian company Air Baltic performed the largest number of flights which equalled 11.6 thousand, and was higher by 17 per cent, compared to the same period last year. The Finnish company Finnair which operated 11.5 thousand flights, or more by 5.5 per cent, compared to January–June 2017, was in second place, and the Russian Aeroflot, with 10.6 thousand flights, or more by 20.4 per cent, compared to the same period in 2017, in third place. The German Lufthansa (8.7 thousand flights, more by 3 per cent) and the Irish company Ryanair (6.9 thousand flights, more by 13.7 per cent) came fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the first half of this year, the number of flights handled by air traffic controllers made up 126.4 thousand and increased by 10.8 per cent, compared to the same period last year. The number of overflights in January–June reached 95 thousand and increased by 11.7 per cent, compared to the same period in 2017.
The number of flights handled in Vilnius airport made up almost 23 thousand (last year 21.3 thousand). The numbers in Kaunas, Palanga, and Šiauliai were 4.5 (last year 4.2 thousand), 2.1 (last year 2 thousand) and 1.6 (last year 1.4 thousand), respectively.
More than 30 thousand flights are daily operated in Europe.
Lithuanian airspace has been included into air routes of over 900 air companies. To ensure that flights are operated safely, efficiently and on time, air navigation services are provided to aircraft from the moment of launching an engine and starting from a parking area to the moment of landing at an aerodrome of destination. Air navigation services in the Lithuanian airspace and Lithuanian airports are provided by SE Oro navigacija.
The services provided by the enterprise are export services as they are mostly used by foreign economic entities (99%) – the airlines, payers of the en-route and terminal charges for air navigation services.
About three quarters of the total flights performed in the Lithuanian airspace are overflights, when aircraft cross the Lithuanian airspace and take off from/land at airports of other countries, and for the services provided to these flights, the route air navigation service charges are paid by airlines. When aircraft take off from one of the Lithuanian airports, airlines pay the terminal air navigation services charge for the relevant services provided.
The costs of Oro navigacija are fully covered by revenue from the main activities – provision of air navigation services, the enterprise receives no funds from the state budget.