GA traffic at LODZ AIRPORT Central Poland

Aviation is currently in the biggest crises for decades. Maybe it is the biggest crisis ever. Airports, especially small airports as our, are under big pressure. After optimistic summertime, when there was hope that maybe the worst is over, came the autumn with flight suspensions and reductions.  

Lodz Airport is still fighting through and searching for the areas where we can still find some profit and some hope. One of the fields is General Aviation. Analysing our GA statistics we can find some growing trends and expansion areas.

It is difficult to compare statistics for the whole year, since Lodz Airport, together with all airports in Poland, came to a standstill when the government closed borders in spring due to pandemic. We started to operate normally in July 2020.

When we check our GA flights and compare it with the same period of 2019, a leading pattern of growth appears. In July 2020 we served +78% GA flights more than a year before. Numbers from August 2020 and 2019 were approximately on the same level. While September is again showing a significant expansion of general aviation when the number of GA flights increases +103% year to year.

As a base for a Pilots Training School "Bartolini Air" we serve plenty of training flights where students practise landing and taking off as well as low passes and touch&go maneuverers. Also, other training centres and aeroclubs are choosing Lodz Airport to train their students. It is important for them to practise procedures at the international airport.

In 2019 Lodz Airport tower served 37 557 flight operations including 12 968 touch&go and 1 113 low passes. In 2020, despite the pandemic, we already served 29 811 flight operations. In this number, there are 10 059 touch&go maneuverers and 924 low passes. The vast number of those operations are performed by the training centres and aeroclubs. For them, Lodz Airport is an important place that enables them to practise flights.