Second electric bus is being tested at Vilnius Airport

Litcargus, aircraft ground handling agency operating at Vilnius Airport, announces that it has been testing the Scania Citywide LF electric bus for passenger transportation from the aircraft to the terminal since 17 March. Vilnius Airport has become the first airport in Europe to test a Scania electric bus for this type of transportation operation. Passengers and staff will be able to test and evaluate the new generation bus until 25 March.

The new generation Scania Citywide LF, a 12-metre long low-floor bus, is an all-electric bus that can carry up to 105 passengers at once. It has 35 seating and 70 standing places, one of which can be adapted for a wheelchair passenger with a disability.

To help both road users and drivers, the vehicle features advanced safety systems such as blind spots, a system that warns of reckless road users, as well as advanced adaptive cruise control, which helps to keep the bus at a constant speed and maintain a safe distance between the bus and other road users.

Linas Vaškys, CEO of Litcargus, says that the quality of passenger service at airports and technological progress are two inseparable things.

“We are constantly following innovations in aviation, monitoring their development and, where possible, using them to make travel more comfortable for passengers and to make our operations as efficient as possible, both in terms of progress and sustainability,” says Vaškys.

Darius Snieška, CEO of Scania Lietuva, points out that the airport is like a gateway to the country for the arriving passenger, it is the first sight he/she sees, so every detail is important. He claims that many cities around the world, especially in Europe, are on the path to decarbonisation and the striving to record the lowest possible levels of CO2 at airports should be part of that process.

“Combined with the charging infrastructure, electric vehicles are the ideal solution for airports, as the distance covered by thousands of passengers per day is huge and the pollution level is zero,” says the CEO of Scania Lietuva.

This is the second electric bus to be tested at Vilnius Airport for passenger transportation. In early 2022, a prototype of the Lithuanian-built Dancer electric bus was tested at the airport.

In line with the European Green Deal and the increasingly stringent environmental requirements, Lithuanian Airports are also seeking to reduce pollution, and the provision of ground services by electric vehicles is one of the options for making operations greener.