A record year for most Polish airports. But two saw declines

Minister of Infrastructure on the modernization of Chopin Airport TVN24

In 2024, Polish airports accommodated a total of 50 million passengers in both international and domestic flights, reflecting a significant increase of 10.8 percent compared to 2023, as reported by the Civil Aviation Authority. The most notable rise in passenger numbers was observed at Warsaw Chopin Airport. Conversely, Warsaw-Modlin and Olsztyn-Mazury are the only two airports in Poland that experienced a drop in passenger counts during the previous year.

„The year 2024 marked a historic achievement for numerous Polish airports. For the first time, Chopin Airport in Warsaw served over 20 million travelers, reaching nearly 21.3 million. John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice surpassed the 10 million mark, achieving 11.1 million passengers, while Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport welcomed over 1 million travelers in civilian traffic, finishing the year with close to 1.1 million,” the Civil Aviation Authority (ULC) stated in its aviation market results summary for 2024.

Airports with an increase in the number of passengers

According to ULC, the most significant rise in passenger traffic compared to 2023 was seen at Warsaw Chopin Airport, which handled nearly 2.8 million additional passengers in 2024 (a 15.1 percent increase). Following this were Kraków-Balice and Poznań-Ławica airports, which experienced increases of 1.7 million (17.8 percent) and 820.3 thousand passengers (29.5 percent), respectively. When compared to 2019, the largest growths were noted at Kraków-Balice, Chopin Airport, and Katowice-Pyrzowice, with increases of 2.7 million, 2.4 million, and 1.5 million passengers, respectively.

Additionally, ULC data revealed that in 2024, the highest percentage growth in passenger numbers was recorded at Zielona Góra-Babimost airport. In that year, the airport served 82,467 passengers, marking a 54.1 percent increase (28,944 more than in 2023).

Most other Polish airports also saw growth rates of a dozen percent or more in 2024. Gdańsk airport recorded a 13.6 percent year-on-year increase, Katowice saw a 13.8 percent rise, Wrocław’s traffic grew by 15.1 percent, Rzeszów by 17.1 percent, Łódź by 20.8 percent, and Radom by 7.5 percent. Smaller increases were noted at the airports in Lublin, Szczecin, and Bydgoszcz, with gains of 6.9 percent, 0.3 percent, and 0.4 percent, respectively.

Airports with falling passenger numbers

Only two airports in Poland – Warsaw-Modlin and Olsztyn-Mazury – experienced a decline in passenger numbers. The airport near Warsaw recorded 2,697,575 passengers in 2024, down from 3,399,650 in 2023, representing a decrease of 20.7 percent. Olsztyn-Mazury airport saw 68,661 travelers in 2024, compared to 140,444 in 2023, marking a drop of 51.1 percent.

ULC explained that the decline at Modlin is tied to the reduction in seats offered by Ryanair. For Olsztyn, the decrease was attributed to the suspension of flights by Wizz Air and a reduction in Ryanair’s services. The Office noted that, relative to 2019, declines occurred not only at Olsztyn-Mazury and Warsaw-Modlin, but also at Szczecin-Goleniów and Bydgoszcz airports.

ULC highlighted that when comparing the fourth quarter of 2024 and 2023, the largest numerical increases among airports were achieved by Warsaw Chopin Airport (up by 696.2 thousand passengers), Kraków-Balice Airport (up by 443 thousand), and Gdańsk Airport (up by 194.3 thousand). In contrast, decreases in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year were observed at Warsaw-Modlin (down 38.2 percent), Olsztyn-Mazury (down 64.5 percent), Bydgoszcz (down 14.3 percent), and Warsaw-Radom (down 35.2 percent). The decrease at Bydgoszcz was linked to a reduction in Ryanair’s services, while in Radom, it was primarily due to a decrease in offerings from LOT Polish Airlines. ULC further noted that airports in Warsaw-Modlin, Olsztyn-Mazury, Szczecin-Goleniów, Bydgoszcz, and Lublin also saw declines compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

The most frequently chosen carrier

Among airlines, Ryanair transported the highest number of passengers in international scheduled flights in 2024. This airline served nearly

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