OREANDA-NEWS. April 04, 2012. Ak Bars Aero airline launched direct flights from Vilnius to Saint Petersburg. The flights to the second largest city in Russia will be operated twice a week by a new Canadian jet aircraft CRJ200LR which can accommodate 50 passengers. It has been the first flight from Lithuania to Saint Petersburg since 2005 when Lithuanian Airlines operated direct flights to this city for several months by carrying the average of 320 passengers per month, reported the press-centre of Vilnius Airport.

“According to a historically established tradition, a train trip is the most popular way to reach Saint Petersburg from Lithuania – basically, there has been no regular communication by air with this city for 20 years,” says VIA Managing Director Tomas Vaisvila. “From now on, people will have an opportunity to reach Saint Petersburg by air in approximately 1 hour and 20 min for LTL 520 round-trip”. 

The aircraft will take off from Saint Petersburg on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:30 (local time) and land in Vilnius at 10:50. After taking off from Vilnius at 11:20, it will reach Saint Petersburg Airport at 12:40.

Founded in 1953, Ak Bars Aero airline operated flights between Bugulma and Kazan by the name Bugulminskoe Aviapredpriyatie. In 2009 the airline became a part of Ak Bars Holding, changed its name and launched flights to foreign countries. Ak Bars Aero currently offers flights on 14 routes, two of them to European cities: Munich and Vilnius. The airline also operates flights to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and has an intensive schedule of flights between the largest cities in Russia – Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Penza, etc.

Saint Petersburg is already the 38th airport to be reached by regular direct flights from Vilnius in summer 2012.