Aviation market analysis in Poland
Our aviation market analysis shows that Polish airports handled as many as 9.3 million passengers in the third quarter of 2021. During this period, Poles travelled most often to the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece. In charter traffic, most people flew to or from Turkey, Greece and Egypt.
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How many passengers do airports in Poland handle?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego), in the first three quarters of 2021 airports in Poland handled a total of 12.9 million passengers. The biggest recovery came in the third quarter. The main reasons were more connections in the summer timetables and the low number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The progress of the vaccination programme was equally important. However, compared with pre-pandemic results from 2019, the data show a significant drop in flights, of as much as 65.7%.
Show chart data as a table
| Year | Passengers (thousand) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 37,635 |
| 2020 | 12,756 |
| 2021 | 12,918 |
Source: Civil Aviation Authority (Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego).
In the third quarter of 2021 alone, Polish airports handled 9.3 million passengers. This is 93% more than in the third quarter of 2020, but 40.9% less than in the same quarter of 2019. There are currently 15 passenger airports in Poland. In the first three quarters of 2021, the most passenger traffic was handled at the airports in Warsaw (Chopin Airport), Kraków (Kraków-Balice) and Gdańsk (Lech Wałęsa Airport). Compared with 2020, Katowice Airport (Pyrzowice) recorded the largest increase in this period, with more than 440,000 additional passengers. It was followed by Warsaw, with more than 357,000 additional passengers, and Poznań-Ławica, with more than 126,000. Kraków airport recorded the largest decrease, with 578,000 fewer passengers, followed by Gdańsk (95,000 fewer) and Bydgoszcz (58,000 fewer).
| Airport | Change in passengers |
|---|---|
| Katowice (Pyrzowice) | more than 440,000 more |
| Warsaw | more than 357,000 more |
| Poznań-Ławica | more than 126,000 more |
| Kraków | 578,000 fewer |
| Gdańsk | 95,000 fewer |
| Bydgoszcz | 58,000 fewer |
In terms of travel destinations, in 2021 Poles most often travelled to or from the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece. In charter traffic, most people flew to or from Turkey, Greece and Egypt.
02
Which airlines have the largest market share in Poland?
The largest share of the Polish market in 2021 was held by LOT Polish Airlines (25.2%). Ryanair came second (25.1%). Next were Wizz Air (16.1%) and Enter Air (11.0%). Carriers with significantly smaller market shares were Ryanair Sun (3.9%), Lufthansa (3.5%), Smartwings (3.5%) and other carriers (11.8%).
| Carrier | Market share (%) |
|---|---|
| LOT Polish Airlines | 25.2 |
| Ryanair | 25.1 |
| Wizz Air | 16.1 |
| Enter Air | 11.0 |
| Ryanair Sun | 3.9 |
| Lufthansa | 3.5 |
| Smartwings | 3.5 |
| other carriers | 11.8 |
03
How much air cargo do airports in Poland handle?
In the first three quarters of 2021, more than 94,700 tonnes of cargo were carried "on board". This is an increase of 32.5% compared with the same period in 2020 and of 5.7% compared with the first three quarters of 2019. The most popular destinations in the first three quarters of the year were Germany, the United States and India. Warsaw airport handled the largest tonnage, 70,200 tonnes, or 74% of all cargo carried on board at Polish airports in this period. Compared with the pre-pandemic period of 2019, Warsaw airport recorded a decrease of 400 tonnes over the three quarters. By contrast, the airports in Katowice, Gdańsk and Wrocław recorded an increase compared with 2019.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| passengers handled in Q3 2021 | 9.3 million |
| change vs Q3 2020 | 93% more |
| change vs Q3 2019 | 40.9% less |
| number of passenger airports in Poland | 15 |
| cargo carried "on board", Q1–Q3 2021 | more than 94,700 tonnes |
| cargo change vs Q1–Q3 2020 | increase of 32.5% |
| cargo change vs Q1–Q3 2019 | increase of 5.7% |
| cargo at Warsaw airport, Q1–Q3 2021 | 70,200 tonnes |
| Warsaw's share of cargo carried on board | 74% |
Author: Dominika Będkowska
Sources:
This text is not a full market analysis of the kind we carry out for our clients. It contains only selected information about the market, which we can expand on request.
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Source: MarketHub, "Aviation market analysis in Poland", markethub.pl, 04.2022