Polish aviation market
The year 2020 was a turning point for aviation in Poland. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Polish government decided to suspend air connections in Poland. Temporary suspension of international (from March 15) and domestic (from March 16) air connections to and from the Republic of Poland's territory automatically resulted in a significant decrease in traffic in Polish airspace compared to the same period in the previous years. As a result, air operations recorded a decline of 56 percent compared to last year. The highest drop in air operations was observed at the Warsaw Airport.During this period, the number of airline connections fell by 33 percent, and the number of domestic and international passengers handled at Polish airports experienced an unprecedented 70 percent decline. The crisis in the aviation market had a negative impact on airlines. The lack of revenue translated into some of the worst financial results in years. LOT Polish Airlines reported a loss of more than a billion zlotys, and Enter Air charter airline recorded a financial loss for the first time in its history.
Development of the aviation market in Poland
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Polish airports have handled a record number of passengers. The market owned its good results mainly to the dynamic growth of low-cost, regular, and charter flights. The progressive development of air traffic was mostly due to the increase in regional airport traffic. The leaders of growth in terms of passenger volume were airports in Kraków, Gdańsk, Katowice, and Wrocław.Due to the rapid growth of local demand for air transport, the lack of regional hubs, and increasing congestion at Western European airports, as well as the development of the Polish carrier LOT, Poland has the potential to join the group of countries with its large hub. The aim of the Solidarity Transport Hub (Centralny Port Komunikacyjny) project is to create a passenger transport system, which will become one of the largest in Europe. According to forecasts, Polish airports will handle more than 89 million passengers and carry 309 thousand metric tons of cargo by 2040
