Boosting air travel between Lithuania and Israel: more scheduled and charter flights this summer

Lithuanian Airports (LTOU), in partnership with key stakeholders, is enhancing air connectivity with Israel. In response to growing demand, charter flights from Israel to Vilnius will increase in frequency starting July 11 – operating twice weekly. These flights will supplement the existing charter route from Tel Aviv to Kaunas. Meanwhile, legacy airlines also plan to support positive forecasts with scheduled flight frequency, setting the stage for a record number of Israeli tourists visiting Lithuania this year.

“It’s crucial for us that, through the joint efforts with the Travel Lithuania team, Israeli tour operators, and local tourism service providers, we are successfully expanding this important inbound tourism segment and increasing the frequency of charter flights. More broadly, we see that this move, combined with the plans of legacy carriers such as Israir Airlines, significantly boosts travel opportunities between Lithuania and Israel in 2025,” says Simonas Bartkus, CEO of Lithuanian Airports.

Olga Gončarova, Head of the national tourism promotion agency Travel Lithuania, emphasizes that increasing capacity of flights from Israel has been one of the organization’s top priorities in developing inbound tourism from this market.

“One of the biggest barriers to attract more Israeli visitors has been the limited number of direct flights – especially critical for the organized group tourism. We’re excited that the Israeli tour operator Overseas, which operates the charter flight company FLYYO, this spring launched charter flights to Vilnius, in addition to the existing Tel Aviv–Kaunas route. Due to rising demand, the Vilnius route will now operate twice a week starting July 11,” says Gončarova.

Thanks to a reliable Israeli partner and an exceptionally convenient flight schedule, Lithuania is well-positioned to welcome a record influx of Israeli tourists this year.

“In recent months, we’ve seen a surge in interest – Israelis are discovering Lithuania as a beautiful, welcoming, safe, and attractive country, perfect for the group travelers, families, friends, or couples alike,” say Overseas representatives Pini Krainer and Vered Shwartz.

Why is this market so important?

Israel is among the fastest-growing inbound tourism markets for Lithuania. Following the pandemic, the market has rebounded rapidly: in 2023, 27,800 Israeli tourists visited Lithuania – approaching the pre-pandemic peak of 30,200 in 2019.

Israeli tourists are also economically significant, with the longest average stay comparing to the other international tourists. In 2023, they spent an average of 4.9 nights in Lithuania – more than double the average of 2.1 nights across all foreign visitors. They also rank among the highest in terms of spending.

Lithuania has long been recognized by Israeli travelers for its high-quality wellness services. Resorts such as Druskininkai are especially popular: in 2023, Israeli tourists ranked third among all foreign visitors there – more guests come only from Latvia and Poland.

According to Travel Lithuania research, the top reasons Israeli tourists choose Lithuania include the desire to taste traditional Lithuanian food and drinks (83%), enjoy nature (82%), and explore local culture (81%). Furthermore, 91% rate their visits as “very good” or “good,” and 71% say they plan to return.