The welcoming of our 8 millionth passenger, the ACI Customer Experience accreditation and the announcement by LOT Polish Airlines of a new #flyKRK connection to New York are just some of Kraków Airport’s highlights of the past year.
"Looking back at 2019, I am sure that it was a landmark year and its events will determine Kraków Airport’s development over the coming years," said Radosław Włoszek, President of the Management Board of Kraków Airport.
"Our mission will always be to care for the safety and satisfaction of passengers and look after the local community and airport personnel, all that based on the principles of sustainable development. All our plans for 2020 are aimed at strengthening Kraków Airport as a leader among European regional airports while supporting the economic and business development of Kraków and Małopolska" added Radosław Włoszek, President of the Management Board of Kraków Airport.
STATISTICS FOR 2019
A total of 8,410,817 passengers were served in 2019, which is a 24% rise compared to 2018, i.e. 1,641,448 more passengers than in the previous year. Like in the years before, the most popular destinations from/to Kraków were London, Frankfurt and Warsaw. As regards the popularity of individual countries, passengers’ favourite destinations were: the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy and Norway. The most popular holiday destinations were: Portugal, Turkey, Spain, Cyprus and Malta. The most popular cities were: Gran Canaria, Majorca, Tenerife and Alicante.
Regular connections on Kraków Airport in 2019
- 24 carriers
- 114 airports
- 150 scheduled connections
- 32 countries
- 40 new connections
EVENTS IN 2019
Opening of a Wizz Air base
In 2019, Kraków Airport became Wizz Air’s 25th base. The airline decided to base three of its Airbus A320 airliners in Kraków and offered 18 routes to 15 countries for travellers to #flyKRK. Passengers were offered destinations such as: London, Kiev, Nice, Turku, Doncaster, Bari, Billund, Catania, Kharkiv, Rome, Oslo, Larnaca, Turin, Kutaisi, Tel Aviv, Reykjavik, Birmingham and Eindhoven.
ACI Airport Customer Experience for Kraków Airport
Kraków Airport is one of the first airports in Europe and the first one in Poland to be accredited in the ACI Airport Customer Experience programme. The accreditation is awarded to airports which constantly strive to improve the standard of passenger services, and place the safety and comfort of passengers at the forefront. Kraków Airport keeps working to improve the quality of services and passenger experience, listens to passengers’ needs and monitors feedback from #flyKRK travellers. In 2019, an unconventional activities offer was introduced at the airport, which was welcomed by passengers. Passengers departing from Kraków Airport are offered short sessions of cardiopulmonary exercises to prepare for the flight. Kraków Airport has a new associate: a border collie named Zen who is there to help all those with a fear of flying to reduce stress, assisted by his owner and dog behaviourist Kasia. You can meet the duo in the departure area.
Social commitment
In 2019, Kraków Airport put in place a new Programme for the Improvement of Acoustic Comfort for the Residents of the Restricted Use Area of the Kraków-Balice Airport, under which RUA residents could benefit from support to have woodwork in their homes replaced with one that has increased sound insulation parameters. As part of the Programme, after an application was made and assessed formally, the airport performed an acoustic measurement of the building at its own expense. Eligible properties received partial funding for the replacement of external woodwork (windows and doors). As many as 208 applications were received in the recruitment process carried out in March and April 2019, which were then assessed formally. For 112 of the applications, the formal assessment was positive.
The second edition of the Near the Airport grant program was held last year, and it involved financial support for infrastructure projects in the eight villages located closest to Kraków Airport. 10 projects were subsidised as part of the programme prepared for the inhabitants of Aleksandrowice, Balice, Rząska, Szczyglice, Cholerzyn, Chrosna, Mników and Morawica. The 11th edition of our grant programme Supporting Our Neighbours was also held in 2019. The programme includes financial support for local initiatives organised for the benefit of the residents of municipalities Liszki and Zabierzów. In 2019, 11 projects received funding out of 51 initiatives which submitted applications.
Aviation Education Centre - new exhibitions and awards
Kraków Airport Aviation Education Centre, which has been open for two years now, is a nationally unique educational centre that teaches visitors about the operation of the airport, organizes specialized classes, workshops and e-learning courses for a variety of age groups. Children can find out what air travel is about from an early age, and the learning is organised in a fun way.
In 2019, AEC workshops were attended by 11,386 participants in 439 groups. Starting from October, new unique exhibitions were opened such as an interactive CITES map, an airliner room with a faithful replica of a real aircraft and a VR Marshaller Room - a new version of a virtual reality installation showing the work of the marshallers who control ground traffic on the airport.
2019 was a streak of successes for AEC. Kraków Airport’s Aviation Education Centre was awarded a special certificate of the Polish Tourist Organization in the Best Tourist Product competition, and was accepted as a member of the Association for Society and Science.
KRAKÓW AIRPORT IN 2020
New carriers and new routes to #flyKRK
Starting from 7 May 2020, American Airlines will launch a service to Chicago operated five days a week. From 29 March 2020, Air France airliners will start operating #flyKRK flights to Paris on a daily basis. New countries in Kraków Airport’s route network will be Albania (charter connections) and Montenegro (regular connections). In addition, Wizz Air will launch flights to London, Zaporrozhye, Barcelona, Milan, Trondheim, Haugesund, Stavanger, Bergen, Bologna, Tromso and Verona. Ryanair will start flying to Podgorica. In 2020, 15 new #flyKRK connections will be launched.
Starting from 3 May 2020, LOT Polish Airlines will launch a new direct connection from Kraków to New York JFK. The national carrier will also increase the number of flights from Kraków to Chicago, from three to five flights per week.
3rd edition of ACI Customer Experience Global Summit in Kraków
ACI World (Airports Council International) ceremoniously announced at the ACI Customer Experience Global Summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in September 2019 that the next year's event, the 3rd edition of ACI Customer Experience Global Summit, planned for 7-10 September 2020, will be held in Kraków. The prestigious conference will be hosted by Kraków Airport.
Delegates meet at the global airport conference every year to discuss the best solutions for passenger comfort and high-quality airport services. In 2019, Angkasa Pura I in Bali, Indonesia was the first host from the Asia-Pacific region, while next year Kraków will be the first European host of the event.
ABC gates on Kraków Airport
Kraków Airport will be equipped with 10 biometric ABC gates used for automatic check-in of passengers departing or arriving in the Schengen area, holding a biometric passport. The new acquisition is expected to improve passenger service and facilitate the work of the airport services. The purchase of equipment for Kraków Airport will be funded by the Ministry of Interior and Administration, at the request of the Governor of Małopolska Mr. Piotr Ćwik.