Aviation History
Lithuania's aviation history began during its interwar independence (1918-1940), highlighted by the celebrated 1933 transatlantic flight of pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. Soviet occupation folded Lithuanian aviation into Aeroflot until 1990, after which Lithuanian Airlines was re-established, later rebranded flyLAL, which went bankrupt in 2009; a successor, Air Lituanica, operated only from 2013 to 2015. Since then Lithuania has had no year-round scheduled flag carrier, with Vilnius Airport instead built around low-cost carriers and locally based ACMI/charter operators such as Avion Express.
An aviation unit was established during Lithuania's interwar independence, marking the start of organized Lithuanian aviation.
Pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas attempted a nonstop transatlantic flight from New York toward Lithuania in their aircraft 'Lituanica,' crashing in Germany just short of their goal; the flight became a defining moment in Lithuanian aviation memory.
Soviet annexation absorbed Lithuanian civil aviation into Aeroflot, ending independent national air services for five decades.
Following restored independence, Lietuvos avialinijos (Lithuanian Airlines) was formed from former Aeroflot assets as the country's flag carrier.
Lithuania joined the European Union, opening its skies under EU aviation rules; Lithuanian Airlines rebranded as flyLAL around this period.
flyLAL-Lithuanian Airlines ceased operations and declared bankruptcy in January 2009, leaving Lithuania temporarily without a flag carrier.
Air Lituanica, named after the Darius and Girėnas aircraft, launched as a new attempt at a Lithuanian flag carrier based in Vilnius.
Air Lituanica shut down after just two years, again leaving Lithuania without a scheduled national carrier.
flyLAL-Lithuanian Airlines (defunct) · Air Lituanica (defunct) · Avion Express · Small Planet Airlines (defunct)
Wikipedia, Lithuanian Aviation Museum, airline corporate histories