“The summer season can be considered phenomenal for regional airports,” assesses Tomasz Kloskowski, President of Gdansk Airport. Charter flights turned out to be the driving force of the airport’s results, recording a 45% increase in passenger numbers compared to last year, which was more than three times the total passenger traffic. The expert emphasizes that the same is in most other domestic airports, which are likely to break their records again this year.
The results of the first half of the year were optimistic, indicating dynamic growth in air traffic and the growing significance and attractiveness of regional airports. Over the first six months of 2024, they served more than 16 million passengers, an increase of 13%, or about 2 million more than in the same period the previous year – reports the Union of Regional Airports. In the second quarter alone, the growth rate was similar year on year, but compared to 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the number of passengers increased by over a quarter (26%).
“Regional airports are generally in excellent condition, but of course, their status depends on whether it is a large regional airport or a small one. The medium and large regional airports are in great shape, but there are selected small airports noting declining air traffic. However, speaking generally about Poland, most regional airports have excellent transport results, that is, they are breaking their records,” says Tomasz Kloskowski.
According to the data from the Union of Regional Airports, in the first half of the year, the leaders in growth were the airports in Poznan (+28%), Lodz (+27%) and Wroclaw (+19%). The largest port was Krakow, which served over 5 million passengers during this period, accounting for more than 30% of all travelers at regional airports. Two airports recorded declines compared to the period January-June 2023 and these were Olsztyn (-37%) and Modlin (-16%). 11 out of 14 regional ports belong to the Union, the ones not included are Chopin Airport in Warsaw, airports in Szczecin, Radom and Zielona Góra.
“For Gdansk and the whole of Poland, this is an outstanding summer season. I did not expect passengers in the charter market to join us so outstandingly, considering the rising cost of living and overall frugality. In Gdansk, we have a 45% increase with a 15% overall increase in passenger traffic, so we have a madness on charters,” emphasizes the President of Lech Walesa Airport in Gdansk. “If we look at other airports in Poland, there is also a frenzy, so Poles love to relax abroad. This is also noticeable in the Tri-City market, as we have fewer domestic tourists. Hence the conclusion that Poles have fallen in love with flights to Turkey, Greece and Egypt, above all.”
According to statistics from the airport, the most popular regular destinations during the holiday season (June-August) were Oslo (with 143.4 thousand served passengers), London (138.6 thousand), Stockholm (108.2 thousand) and Copenhagen (almost 107 thousand). Among charter destinations, Turkey clearly dominated with 127.6 thousand passengers, followed by Greece (74.5 thousand) and Egypt (37 thousand). The occupancy rate on all three routes was around 95%.
The result of Gdansk airport in the first half of the year was similar to the market one, that is a 13% increase in the number of served passengers – to almost 3 million passengers. The President expects to exceed the number of 6 million travelers by the end of the year. Especially since June already indicated a dynamic – over 40% increase in charter traffic. In summarizing the first half of the year, the President stressed that the increase in the number of operations (by over 16%) was also significant. This signifies that airlines have added new planes, which may lead to further growth in passenger traffic.
“In Gdansk, as of the winter season, we have Madeira flights, so everyone in the Tri-City is happy that we have flights to Madeira. But it will work both ways – carriers often cut connections, often establish new ones, and here something is always happening,” says Tomasz Kloskowski.
As Dr. Anna Midera, President of the Union of Regional Airports, emphasized in the half-year summary, the number of people willing to fly from regional airports increases year by year, thanks to a richer offer for passengers and care for them.
“Of course, winter is always more difficult and there will be a decline compared to the summer periods, but I believe that still 80% of airports will be in the green, meaning most airports will surely break their records of served passengers,” assesses the President of Gdansk airport.
Over the first six months, Gdansk Airport Company generated nearly PLN 36 million in sales profit and PLN 26.2 million in net profit. In the same period of the year 2023, it was respectively over PLN 13 million and over PLN 3 million.
“Investments-wise, we are currently at a standstill. We are drinking champagne, eating strawberries, and celebrating that we took a risk during the pandemic. Let me remind you that we expanded our terminal during the pandemic, we conducted the investment process during the pandemic years, when there were no passengers, and thanks to this we now have infrastructure ready for increased traffic. However, in other airports in Poland, there will undoubtedly be a huge investment process,” emphasizes Tomasz Kloskowski.
In June 2022, they put into service the expanded part of the passenger terminal in Gdansk. Thanks to a three-year investment, the airport gained 16 thousand square meters of new space for passenger service, more departure gates and check-in counters. During the April celebrations of the 50th birthday of the airport and the 30th anniversary of Gdansk Airport Company, they announced future plans including the construction of an aircraft apron with de-icing platforms. This project will create several parking spaces, including for large units like Dreamliners or Airbus A380s. The base for ground handling agents and infrastructure for servicing and repairing aircraft will also be expanded. Finally, the control tower’s location will change, and Terminal 1 will be demolished to make way for a new building.
