The connection to Vienna returns to the airport in Krakow-Balice after 14 months, from where you can fly further – to over two hundred locations around the world. After the pandemic, Austrian Airlines is rebuilding its network of connections, which will accelerate the return of Kraków Airport to normalcy. By the end of June, we will fly from Krakow to the Austrian capital (and back) four times a week, from July – seven times a week, and from August – twice a day.
Brand news from Krakow Airport!
Today we are happy to welcome the Austrian Airlines plane that flew to Krakow from Vienna. Vienna – Krakow – Vienna is one of the favorite connections of our passengers. Before the 2019 pandemic, they traveled through the Austrian capital to more than 200 different airports around the world.
Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport
He adds that Vienna is not only one of the top cities where Krakow and Małopolska residents like to spend their free time, even at the weekend, but is also the 5th popular transfer port from which you can go further into the world. The long common history and tradition of social, cultural, and economic contacts additionally increase the importance of this connection.
“We also hope that tourists from Austria will gladly return to visit Kraków and Małopolska, he added” – says Radosław Włoszek.
Austrian Airlines – a key player
Austrian Airlines offers not only the routes it operates (110 connections from Vienna in 2021), but also the option of using connections from other airlines as part of the STAR ALLIANCE cooperation. This gives Kraków Airport passengers great opportunities to plan a quick and comfortable journey.
The authorities of Małopolska see the return of further connections to Kraków Airport as an opportunity for tourists to return to the region and its capital; In recent years, the development of the airport near Krakow has driven numerous sectors of the economy of our region, and vice versa: the increasing interest of tourists in Krakow and Lesser Poland attractions has led to a record-breaking boom in Krakow-Balice airport. The pandemic has dramatically disrupted this, but thanks to the close and harmonious cooperation of all interested parties, there is a chance for a swift reconstruction of battered businesses.
The vaccination encouraged people to look for vacations abroad again
The vaccination campaign, which is developing at its best in Kraków and Małopolska, in conjunction with the decline in the number of cases and deaths, allows accelerating the thawing of critical sectors of the economy. Krakow hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, museums, tourist, entertainment, and cultural facilities are ready for full opening, and tourists in Poland and around the world are hungry for expeditions and rest, thanks to which Krakow and Lesser Poland appear more and more in travel plans.
Closed borders, including Norway and Great Britain, restrictions on flights to most countries – all this had an impact on the January result of the Balice airport near Krakow. Throughout the month, only 54,353 passengers used Kraków Airport services, i.e. 91% less than in January 2020. At that time, despite the disturbing news about Covid-19 coming from China and the first steps to increase security taken by the authorities of the largest Polish regional airport, it was still on a rising wave. Everything collapsed in mid-March 2020, and to this day a significant part of the old movement has not been rebuilt. The main reason is the restrictions imposed by the governments of most countries in response to the second wave of the pandemic, much more severe than the first.
Adjusting to a new normality
In previous years, in January, Kraków Airport passengers were very eager to use air services when going for a winter break. This year everything has changed. Passengers are required to follow sanitary rules in the countries they travel to, and airports are adjusting the infrastructure to the new guidelines
Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport
He assures that the priority for the Krakow airport has always been and will always be the passenger, his comfort and safety.
“It is also very important to react quickly to changing travel rules to individual countries, which is why we introduced the possibility of performing antigen tests at such a rapid pace in front of the Kraków Airport terminal, when such tests began to be required on flights to the Netherlands, due to the decision of the authorities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands” – adds Radosław Włoszek.
Black trend: airports are in the grip of restrictions and bans
The January collapse is a continuation of the black trend that started after last year’s relatively successful (for a pandemic) summer vacation. Successive governments introduced numerous restrictions in October in response to a repeated attack of the coronavirus, a significant increase in morbidity and mortality, and then also due to new mutations (including in the UK). As a result, the airport in Krakow-Balice in December 2020 handled only 76,469 passengers, i.e. by as much as 89 percent. less than in pre-pandemic December 2019.
How did 2020 look for Krakow Airport?
Throughout 2020, Kraków Airport handled 2,592,972 passengers, i.e. over 5.8 million less than in the record-breaking 2019. By far the highest was traffic in January, February and until mid-March (i.e. before the first wave of the pandemic and the introduction of restrictions), and also in summer. The end of the year was clearly spoiled by the ban on flights from Great Britain introduced by the Polish government – about 3rd of all passengers fly to the Islands at the Krakow airport. However, the key airlines did not completely suspend connections in this direction: from Great Britain, planes arrive empty, return full of Lesser Poland, returning to their British homes, and/or work.
Moderate optimism: vaccinations will unlock airports in the second half of the year?
According to analyzes of the aviation market, in 2021 we can expect 4,250,645 passengers at Kraków Airport, i.e. almost two times less than in the record-breaking year 2019, but 2 million more than in the pandemic 2020.“Independent research by aviation organizations such as IATA whether the ACI confirm that passengers will want to travel by air after the pandemic has calmed down. Common international policy and regulations in the field of opening borders for air travel are to guarantee this forecast” – says Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport, hopefully.
Coronavirus does not stop Polish investments
The activities of the entire industry ensuring travel safety, including sanitation, are aimed at developing uniform standards that will allow the reconstruction of the air transport market and tourism after the pandemic period. A prerequisite, however, is the full or partial opening of the tourism industry, as well as the effective dissemination of the vaccine
Andrzej Adamczyk, Minister of Infrastructure, during the January meeting summarizing 2020
“Coronavirus does not stop Polish investments – this applies to roads, railways, and airports. Kraków Airport presents ambitious plans for the future. This is an opportunity for a further dynamic development of this airport, and with it of the entire region“, added the minister.
2021 will be a time of even greater challenges: rebuilding confidence in air travel and rebuilding the airport’s potential. The consistent implementation of the Investment Plan for the coming years will also help in this, said Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport.
Even higher safety standards at the Krakow airport
Kraków Airport has introduced another modern solution to increase travel safety during a pandemic. The containers used by passengers during security checks and also placed at check-in desks have been coated with TitanSolid, which destroys the human coronavirus and other viruses and bacteria. The Krakow airport is another entity in the transport industry that uses this sanitary method.
TitanSolid is a disinfecting coating that activates when exposed to natural or artificial light. It was developed by the Polish company Lumichem in cooperation with university scientists. The coating in a continuous system removes all microorganisms, thanks to which the surface covered with it becomes microbiologically clean. Its effectiveness is confirmed by certificates and research, including the latest – towards the removal of the human coronavirus.
Original article, in Polish language, can be found in Gazeta Krakowska.
First Airport In Poland to receive the distinction
Kraków Airport is the first airport in Poland to receive the ACI Airport Health accreditation, awarded by the International Airports Council – ACI (Airports Council International). This program introduces high standards of airport protection against the COVID-19 pandemic so that staying at airports and flying is fully safe and comfortable for both passengers and all staff members.
The rules of conduct in relation to the COVID-19 threat have been developed by the best aviation and health experts and approved by key international aviation organizations – ICAO, EASA and ACI.
Accreditation is valid for 1 year!
The ACI Airport Health accreditation has just been granted – valid for a year. It mainly concerns the adopted cleaning technology and the scope of disinfection, the application of the principles of social distancing, the security of airport staff, the method of informing about sanitary rules, and other amenities for passengers (e.g. full and free access passengers to disinfectants).
Granting the accreditation to the Krakow airport was preceded by a special audit. Successful completion of the accreditation process is a clear and legible signal for passengers, carriers, employees, and airport users that a given airport can be a model in the area of health care and effectively protects everyone against COVID-19 infection.
What does the President of Krakow Airport say?
“We are glad that Kraków Airport has joined the group of airports with the highest standard of service, where the most important is the safety and comfort of passengers and all people working at the airport. We put a lot of effort to ensure that the standards in this regard were washed to the highest. We decided that it is worth making this effort not only because of the need to protect the most valuable good, which is human life and health, but also because it is crucial for our industry to rebuild trust in travel and flying. A sense of security is the foundation of trust” – comments Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport.
The first airport in Poland to sign the “Aviation Industry Charter for COVID-19”
Let us recall that Kraków Airport was the first airport in Poland to sign the declaration “Aviation Industry Charter for COVID-19”, initiated and prepared by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The main purpose of the declaration is to apply and promote new security rules against the spread of COVID-19 by air operators and airport managers.
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