A tendering procedure for contract works is intended to be announced at Vilnius Airport in the autumn. The works are expected to commence in the second half of 2020 and finish at the end of 2021. The total investments will amount to about EUR 17.3 million. In terms of its volume, the project is equivalent to the reconstruction of the Vilnius Airport runway, the value of which totaled EUR 19 million.
Investments into the reconstruction of the Northern apron are expected to pay off in the next 10 years.
“The advanced apron compliant with all the requirements set by all international aviation organizations will favorably change the situation of aircraft traffic control at the capital’s airport. With an increasing number of passengers and large aircraft at the same time, it has become of critical importance to effectively use all possibilities of the infrastructure, and this has become very difficult considering the current condition of the apron. Larger aircraft which have been arriving at our airport increasingly more often raise serious challenges in integrating them into the existing infrastructure, therefore changes are necessary”, stated Mr. Dainius Čiuplys, Head of Vilnius Airport.
Reconstruction of the Northern apron will include installation of new asphalt paving, effective and energy-saving lighting, marking of parking spaces, the arrangement of new lights, surveillance system, more effective surface wastewater collection solutions. Also, it has been planned that modern ground power units will be used in this apron in the future, which will allow serving aircraft more conveniently.
“Reconstruction of the Northern part will substantially distance parking of aircraft from the adjacent residential areas. After the reconstruction, 5 additional parking spaces will be created and adjusted for the large aircraft, which currently equal to 56 at Vilnius Airport”, claimed Project Manager Arnas Dūmanas of the Lithuanian Airport Development Department.
It is assumed that the reconstruction of the apron will contribute to improvement of safe aircraft traffic conditions, reduce the length of the taxiway, which, in turn, will reduce the noise level, as well as CO2 emissions, and that directly relates to the strategic goal of the Lithuanian Airports to invest in environmental protection measures.
Mr. Čiuplys underlines that cyclicality is characteristic for the airport infrastructure because when operating it at full capacity, the service time ranges from 12 to 15 years. It is claimed that the runway renewed at Vilnius Airport in 2017 constitutes less than one-third of the total area of the aerodrome paving; therefore, currently, it is necessary to invest in the upgrading of other airdrome surfaces.
Seeking to retain airlines in Vilnius and ensure competitiveness with respect to neighboring airports, reconstruction of the Northern apron will be implemented at the operating airport. The work is planned in such a way as to avoid any major impediments to the regular operations at the airport.
The reconstruction program at Vilnius Airport covers the installation of the Northern apron, runways, new VIP terminal with a conference center, construction of the departure terminal, change of the traffic scheme in front of the airport, and setting up of new commercial spaces. All the aforementioned reconstruction projects will be implemented at the operating airport, and works will be carried out in such a way as to cause the least inconvenience to passengers.
