The Upper Silesian Aviation Group (GTL SA) – the company managing Katowice Wojciech Korfanty International Airport in Pyrzowice, Poland, has summarised passenger and cargo traffic for the fourth month of 2022.
PASSENGER TRAFFIC IMPROVES
In April, Katowice Airport handled 251 210 passengers, i.e. 210 860 more (+522.6%) than during the fourth month of 2021; 2 886 aircraft takeoffs and landings were noted – 1 692 more (+141.7%) than in April 2021.
193 313 passengers – 184 875 more (+2 191.0%) than in April 2021 – were handled on regular flights offered by Wizz Air, Ryanair, LOT Polish Airlines and Lufthansa. The following regular destinations were the most popular during the fourth month of 2022: Dortmund (30 646 passengers), London-Luton (19 415), London-Stansted (12 302), Eindhoven (8 755) and Milan-Bergamo (7 958).
In April, 56 756 passengers – 25 049 more (+79.0%) than during the fourth month of 2021 – flew on charter flights handled by travel agencies. In April 2022, passengers most often flew to the following charter destinations: Marsa Alam (12 952 passengers), Antalya (12 345), Hurghada (9 634), Sharm El Sheikh (1 965), Cancun (1 859).
During the first four months of 2022, Katowice Airport handled 717 796 passengers – 608 573 more (+557.2%) than last year. 510 681 passengers, i.e. 481 201 more (+1 632.3%) than in 2021, travelled on regular flights. 204 151 travellers were handled on charter flights, 125 718 more (+160.3%) in comparison with the same time period last year. From January to the end of April 2022, there were 9 496 aircraft takeoffs and landings, i.e. 5 609 more (+144.3%) in comparison with the first four months of 2021.
“After two years of a big aviation industry crisis, which was caused by the coronavirus pandemic, passenger traffic is visibly improving at Katowice Airport in 2022. With each month, this process accelerates. The result for April 2022 is 82% of the record-breaking fourth month of 2019. We currently predict that we should handle over four million passengers in 2022; that’s about 85% of the traffic in 2019, when we achieved the best result in the history of Katowice Airport, i.e. 4.84 million passengers,” said Artur Tomasik, President of the Board of the Upper Silesian Aviation Group, the company managing Katowice Airport.
DYNAMIC GROWTH OF CARGO TRAFFIC
In April 2022, the cargo terminal at Katowice Airport handled 3 192 tonnes of freight, i.e. 742 tonnes more (+30.3%) than in the fourth month of 2021. Freighters performed 387 takeoffs and landings, 94 more (+32.1%) than last year. From January to the end of April 2022, 12 551 tonnes of freight were handled; that’s 3 396 tonnes more (+37.1%) than in the same time period in 2021. During the first four months of 2022, cargo aircraft took off and landed 1 878 times, that’s 723 operations more (+62.6%) than last year.
“April 2022 was the eighteenth month in a row during which we noted a growth in cargo traffic at Katowice Airport. Our forecast indicates that this year, the Katowice Airport cargo terminal will handle over 45 thousand tonnes of freight in that segment,” said Artur Tomasik, President of the Board of GTL SA.
Top cargo operators in Europe have their regional bases at Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport. Currently, the regular cargo network at the airport consists of ten routes. Four routes are handled for Amazon, two for FedEx, two (RFS*) for Lufthansa Cargo, one for DHL Express and one for UPS.
