OREANDA-NEWS. June 26, 2013. Vilnius International Airport (VIA) begins the construction of a new fire rescue station financed from the resources of the European Union. The works at the airport will be completed by the companies awarded the contract Irdaiva and Conresta working under the joint activity agreement.

The preparations for construction works to be completed by Irdaiva and Conresta, the successful tenderers in the tender for construction works, are already underway.  The garage reconstruction into a new fire rescue station is expected to be completed in 12 months. 

The current airport’s fire rescue station was built in the early 1980s for ensuring flight safety on the old runway, which is no longer in use.

“The airport’s fire rescue station is located too close to the current runway and is a critical obstacle to aircrafts. Over the years the building has become energy inefficient and its facilities are morally outdated. What is more, an extension to the taxiway is anticipated at the site of the current fire rescue station,” the director of VIA Infrastructure Department Darius Okunevicius speaks about the decision to set up a new fire rescue station.

According to Okunevicius, the new fire rescue station of the airport will be built in the vicinity of the current station but its distance from the runway will be greater. Once the new station is completed, the old one will be demolished.

The value of the project is LTL 7,894 million excluding VAT and it is financed from the resources of the EU funds, the state budget and the enterprise.

4 fire-fighting teams, each made of 7-9 people, work at VIA. The airport ensures the fire protection level of category 7 out of 10 categories.

This year the airport is planning to implement another project financed from the EU funds – a contract on the reconstruction of the airport’s perimeter fence will be signed at the end of September. The works are expected to be completed at the end of 2014. The value of the project implemented from the resources of the EU funds, the state budget and the airport will amount to LTL 14.46 million including VAT.