On September 20, 1938, “Lietuvos oro linijos” (Lithuanian Air Lines) was founded in Kaunas. With two seven-seater “Percival Q.6 Petrel” airplanes from England, the airline began operating flights between Kaunas, Palanga, and Riga. Despite its good start, operations ceased after only two years.
In this article, I will introduce you to Lithuania’s passenger transportation history. We will move into Lithuanian Air Lines’ origin, flight routes, ticket prices, fleet details, and operations, and finally uncover the reasons behind the end of its legacy.
History of passenger transportation in Lithuania
Air transportation in Lithuania started in 1919, when the first military airplanes began flying from Aleksotas, S. Darius and S. Girėnas Airport, in Kaunas. On March 1 of the same year, eight German-made “LVGC VI” airplanes, marked with Lithuanian logos, took flight. By July 26, 1921, the first passenger route, Königsberg–Kaunas, was established.
Air passenger services in Lithuania officially began in 1922, but until 1938, they were dominated by foreign airlines operating mainly transit routes. These included companies such as Deruluft, Danziger Luftreederei, Latvijas Gaisa Satiksmes Akciju Sabiedriba, Aeronaut, AB Aerotransport, Deutsche Luft Hansa, and LOT.
Lithuanian Air Lines start their operations
On September 20, 1938, “Lietuvos oro linijos” (Lithuanian Air Lines) was established in Kaunas. The airline operated with two seven-seater “Percival Q.6 Petrel” airplanes purchased from England, launching both commercial and government flights between Kaunas, Palanga, and Riga.
It’s fleet
The Percival Q.6, powered by two de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engines with variable-pitch propellers, was designed for medium-haul commercial flights. Each aircraft could carry five passengers, along with two pilots, and had space for a significant amount of cargo. Its cruising speed was 149 mph (240 km/h).
Interestingly, the Percival Q.6 Petrel had a unique feature: only one control yoke. To transfer control to the co-pilot, the yoke could be folded to the side of the controlling pilot via a hinge. At the time, German passenger planes typically seated 8 to 10 passengers but operated at only about 40% capacity. Therefore, Lithuanian Air Lines deliberately chose to carry only five passengers.
The aircraft were registered as LY-SOA and LY-SOB, named after transatlantic aviators Stepas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, respectively. These Lithuanian heroes gained fame for their historic attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the Lituanica (a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker aircraft) on July 17, 1933. Tragically, dying in a crash with only 650 kilometers remaining to reach Lithuania.
Flights and prices of Lithuanian Air Lines
Jonas Dženkaitis and Simas Mockūnas, both former military pilots dismissed from the Air Force for their involvement in the 1934 attempted coup, became the first pilots of Lithuanian Air Lines. In 1937, they were sent for training in Germany with Deutsche Luft Hansa.
The first flight of Lithuanian Air Lines occurred before its official establishment, on September 5, 1938. Operations lasted only two weeks that year, during which the airline completed 34 flights on the Kaunas–Palanga route, covering a total of 7,480 km and transporting 31 passengers. The service operated twice daily, with the journey taking approximately one hour.
Significant improvements were made to the Palanga airfield, including constructing a passenger terminal, an airline office, and a radio station for communication with planes in flight. Regular service on the Kaunas–Palanga route was officially launched on June 3, 1939 and continued until late autumn. That same year, Lithuanian Air Lines introduced its first international flight to Spilve Airport in Riga, Latvia. During this time, the airline completed 216 flights on the Kaunas–Palanga route, transporting 764 passengers, 3,546 kg of luggage, and 3,476 kg of mail.
In its first year, a ticket for the Kaunas–Palanga route cost 38 Litas. However, in the second year, the airline reduced the ticket price to 25 Litas to better compete with train fares.
End of operations and legacy
The activities of Lithuanian Air Lines officially ceased on June 16, 1940, the day Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union. On that day, all flights, including civilian operations, were grounded by order of the Soviet military.
Following Lithuania’s formal annexation by the Soviet Union on August 3, 1940, the airline’s operations and assets were taken over by the USSR airline company, Aeroflot.
A second attempt to establish a national airline for Lithuania came much later, in September 1991. This was after the country regained independence, and a new state-owned airline, Lithuanian Airlines, was founded.
The story of this second attempt will be explored in next week’s Friendly Skies article, part two of the Lithuanian Airlines saga!