Ukrainians have contributed to the national carrier LOT Airlines earning a billion zlotys in profit, and the Rzeszów airport served over a million passengers last year.
Such profits for Polish airlines and airports became possible thanks to Ukrainians who, despite the closed airspace in Ukraine, continue to travel.
Ukraine remains the only country in Europe without civilian air travel. However, Ukrainians continue to use air transport, especially from airports in Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary, but mostly from Poland, as reported by Rzeczpospolita.
Olivier Jankovec, the Director General of the Airports Council International, believes that it is thanks to Ukrainians that air transport volumes reached pre-pandemic levels in July 2023. Ukrainian passengers create additional demand for air travel to and from Poland, positively impacting the Polish aviation market.
The Polish airline LOT is actively expanding its transatlantic flights, attracting Ukrainian travelers. This is why the company’s profits have grown to a billion zlotys, with over 10 million passengers transported. In 2022, LOT’s profit was 113 million zlotys, and in 2019 – 68.8 million zlotys.
Moreover, last year, the Rzeszów airport crossed the threshold of a million passengers. The airport operates five daily flights to Warsaw, and for the summer season, they will launch flights to Gdańsk and New York. Lufthansa is also returning to Rzeszów, hoping to attract passengers to its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
