Less passengers and air operations. More freight

Throughout the entire 2020, Gdansk Airport handled 1,711,281 passengers. Comparing this result to the record-breaking 2019, we recorded a 68.2% decrease. 

“One million seven hundred thousand passengers transported is a huge achievement for almost half of the year closed air traffic due to the ban on flights and sanitary restrictions. As soon as the air traffic resumes, we will make up for the loss in the number of passengers within 1-3 years. We are attentive to what is happening with our main partners, i.e. carriers. There are no dramatic voices. This bodes well for the future, because it means that our business partners, who have been with us for years, will also resume their business with us in the future. Together, we will come back to the normality we dream about” - said Tomasz Klosowski, the President of Lech Walesa’s Gdansk Airport. 

In the difficult year 2020, passengers were most often chosing: London, Oslo and Warsaw. Despite the restrictions, travelers willingly used charter flights. From Gdansk they were flying mainly to Turkey, Greece and Egypt. Summer  LOT connections were very popular. In July 2020, Polish Airlines launched flights from Gdansk to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rome, Barcelona. Tirana, Burgas, Thessaloniki and Chania, Rhodes and Corfu. 

In 2020, Gdansk Airport completed 25,558 take-off and landing operations, which is by 47,7% less than in 2019. 

The Airport recorded a 2% increase in the number of goods and mail transported. In 2019, there were 6,887 tons, and in 2020 - 7,028 tons. In October 2020, the American courier company UPS opened its base in Gdansk and began regular air transport services. It is the thirds courier company at the Gdansk Airport, next to DHL and FedEx. 

“It is very nice that we have an increase in cargo traffic and that new operation, i.e. courier companies, are entering Gdansk. Our task is to create the best possible working conditions for them, which is why we build special terminals and make our infrastructure available” - informed Tomasz Klosowski. 

Preliminary financial results for 2020 indicate that Gdansk Airport recorded a net loss of PLN 661,146.30.  

“It is not the worst result. But before the pandemic, we were a profitable company that generated over PLN 50 million profit from sales. In 2020, we had a loss of PLN 27 million on this account. We have closed negotiations with the banks and agreed that the debt would be compensated with credit funds. We will not seek financial assistance from our shareholders. We will definitely survive. And we will not lay off employees, because training an employee in the aviation industry is not a short-term process. - emphasized the President of Gdansk Airport. “We used the year 2020 for the implementation of investments. We are building a terminal pier, which will improve the standard of passenger service in the future. Construction runs smoothly and without disturbance to traffic. We also expanded the security control zone. Investments and improvement of passenger service conditions will pay off in the future” - informs the President of Gdansk Airport.

Gdansk Airport has been implementing its two flagship investments without any disruptions: the expansion of the T2 passenger terminal with the western pier and the construction of the Alpha office building as a part of the planned Airport City Gdansk. Roof covering works are carried out on the pier construction site. The assembly of mullion-transom structure and glazing of the facades is in progress. The walls are made of brick on the +1 level, screed floors laid on the 0 level and thermal insulation on the -1 level. The contractor installs water and sewage, heating, ventilation and electric systems. The existing T2 terminal is being rebuild in this respect, in which it will eventually be connected to the new pier. At the construction site of the Alpha office building, the assembly of the façade and roof installation are in progress. Finishing works are being carried out in bathrooms and elevator halls as well as in the entrance hall. Installations are fitted in the garage. In addition, finishing the resin floors has started. Most of this work is scheduled for completion in March.

“In 2021, we expect the lifting of sanitary restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. When they are lifted, there will be an explosion of contacts and travel, including air travel. I believe that holidays will be better and more normal than last year” - sums up Tomasz Klosowski.