Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania is undergoing a major expansion, including the construction of a new terminal to serve increasing passenger traffic.
The proposed passenger departure terminal will boost the airport’s operational and technological capabilities, while improving the range of non-aviation services.
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Operated by Lithuanian Airports, the airport served approximately five million passengers in 2019.
The airport expansion project will commence in the second half of 2020, and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022. A contractor to undertake the construction is expected to be selected by mid-2020.
The expansion project will meet the projected growth in passenger numbers as the airport will serve new destinations, including Zaporizhia, Yerevan, Hamburg, Zurich, Gothenburg, Dubrovnik and Rijeka.
Vilnius airport expansion details
Vilnius airport’s new departure terminal will be a two-storey building spread over 14,400m² of space. The total area of the passenger terminal is expected to increase by 33% and the passenger handling capacity will grow from 1,200 passengers per hour to 2,400 upon completion of the expansion project.
The terminal will be situated between the existing passenger terminal and a new VIP terminal under construction. It will feature engineering systems, baggage screening and sorting at the centre of the building.
A self-service check-in area for passengers will be created on the ground floor. The building will also feature shared public spaces, cafes, airline offices and other commercial areas.
The second floor of the departure terminal building will be equipped with a security screening area and a departure gate to serve passengers from the Schengen area. The communications between the terminals will be carried out smoothly as the new departure terminal will be well connected to the existing gallery.
The expansion project will also involve the reorganisation of transport access to the airport at the front side. It will include the upgrade of engineering networks, replacement of pavements, development of improved transport scheme, and installation of canopies.
The new two-storey VIP terminal along with a conference centre is under construction in the northern part of the airport. The first floor of the building will include areas for security screening of VIPs, state border check procedures and waiting lounges.
The second floor will house a conference centre, while the basement will include technical and auxiliary premises.
Other developments at the airport
In February 2020, Lithuanian Airports adopted additional arrangements to address the risk posed by the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The tools are used to perform health checks on all passengers arriving at Vilnius Airport from Northern Italy. Passengers are sent to sector B of the arrivals terminal for testing and consultation to contain the spread of the pandemic disease.
Vilnius airport will also be installed with a new baggage management system, a baggage screening system, and self-service drop-off areas. The baggage system will be able to handle 2,400 units per hour, upon commissioning.
The new baggage management system will comply with the international ECAC Standard 3 for baggage screening. It will have a conveyor belt, a four-level checked-in baggage screening system, and new X-ray machines with advanced explosives detection system (EDS).
A modern multifunctional car parking area was opened at the airport to meet long-term parking needs of passengers in January 2020. Operated by Unipark, the parking lot has approximately 1,000 new parking spaces, heated exit lanes for de-icing, and electric charging stations. The car park will also include a car rental centre, which will accommodate seven service providers.
Apron reconstruction at Vilnius airport
Vilnius airport will undertake the reconstruction of a part of the apron at the north side to increase the safety of flights, and enable improved movement and parking of the aircraft. It will also be installed with advanced aircraft service infrastructure.
With an estimated investment of €17.3m ($19.5m), the construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2020 for completion by 2021.
The northern apron reconstruction project will include the installation of new asphalt paving, new lights and surveillance system, and marking of parking areas.
Contractors involved
Sweco Lietuva Company provided design proposals for the northern apron.
Eikos Statyba was selected to construct the new VIP terminal at the airport. Vilniaus Architektūros Studija was awarded a contract to design the underground area of the VIP building.
