The substantially reconstructed and extended commercial zone of the main air gates of the country allows increasing the variety of food available to the passenger at the airport. In October Vilnius Airport launched a tender for giving premises on lease and its winner was obliged to open two pizzerias in the main air gateways in the capital. UAB “Burokėlis ir krapas” operating the network of pizza “Jurgis ir drakonas” and UAB “Amber Food” operating the network of pizza “Charlie Pizza” took part in the tender. Both bidders met all the qualification requirements and “Amber Food” which offered the best commercial conditions, won the bid. The contract for the leasing premises was concluded for the period of 5 years.
“Our goal is to turn Vilnius airport into a place, where it is possible to pleasantly relax and have good time both before the flight or while waiting for arriving relatives. Moreover, a tendency has been observed among passengers in airports all over the world to spend more and more time in the cafes and restaurants. With this in mind, we are broadening the food variety and have called for a tender to open modern pizzerias,” says Justinas Stepšys, the Director of Commercial Department of Lithuanian Airports.
“The main goal of our pizzerias is to provide passengers with their favourite and popular pizzas. The pizzerias target is the departing passengers who are most frequently short of time. For this reason, “grab and go” food will be available for time sensitive passengers. We are also planning to offer new tastes to our passengers and are currently working towards that adopting new technologies,” says Gediminas Balnis, Director of “Amber Food”.
According to the head of “Amber Food”, attempts are made to create cosy and convenient environment in pizzerias, which is also tailored to the passengers, who work on computers or use smart gadgets before their flights. The new pizza places will be designed to be convenient both for larger groups or single passengers. A special zone for little travellers is also foreseen.
The pizzeria by Gate A8 in the non-Schengen departure lounge is expected to welcome passengers as early as February. The second pizzeria “Charlie Pizza” will open between Gates A11 and A14 in the reconstructed Schengen departure lounge in March.
Currently 9 catering establishments offering a variety of food are operating at Vilnius airport. These include restaurants that serve hot locally-made meals, bakery shops, a fresh sandwich bar, beer bars and cafes.
About Vilnius Airport
Vilnius Airport belongs to the Lithuanian airport network that operates three airports in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga. During 2017, they serviced 5.2 million passengers and 55 thousand flights. During the winter season, 15 airlines organize direct flights in 65 regular directions to 56 cities in 26 countries. Based on the data of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Lithuanian Airports contribute to the Lithuania’s GDP by 2.5 percent.