Largest airlines flying from the CEE region 2019, by supply of airline seats
The largest airlines flying from Central and Eastern Europe in 2019 were WizzAir and Ryanair, with a weekly supply of over 274 thousand seats and 273 thousand seats respectively.
The aviation market in Central and Eastern Europe is underdeveloped compared to the whole continent. The largest airports in Europe are dominated by those located in Western Europe in terms of passengers transported. The CEE region also does not have the leading traditional airlines on the European market. For years Lufthansa has been the European leader. Although, in terms of passengers carried, the leader is the Irish budget airline Ryanair. Therefore, the air market in Central and Eastern Europe is dominated by carriers from outside the CEE region. This region is a source of passengers in its hubs for Western European players. However, the situation may gradually change after the Solidarity Airport construction in Poland, which will be the largest hub in Central and Eastern Europe, serving 45 million passengers per year in the first stage of operations. At present, the CEE region is dominated by low-cost Hungarian WizzAir and Polish traditional carrier LOT.
The largest airports in Central and Eastern Europe are in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, and Kyiv. The largest airport in the CEE region is Warsaw airport. In 2019 nearly 19 million passengers were served at Chopin Airport in Poland. In the first half of 2019, the airport in Kyiv developed most dynamically, with a 20 percent increase in passenger traffic. This success was influenced by the Irish carrier Ryanair, which opened its base in the Ukrainian capital. Other factors included an increase in the offer of existing airlines and the appearance of new ones such as Flydubai, SkyUp, and Lauda.
Further growth of passenger traffic on the air market in Central and Eastern Europe was halted by the coronavirus pandemic's outbreak in 2020. During this period, the demand for international and local flights was practically non-existent. It will take many years for carriers and airports to rebuild their market position before the pandemic.
Aviation market in the CEE region
The aviation market in Central and Eastern Europe is underdeveloped compared to the whole continent. The largest airports in Europe are dominated by those located in Western Europe in terms of passengers transported. The CEE region also does not have the leading traditional airlines on the European market. For years Lufthansa has been the European leader. Although, in terms of passengers carried, the leader is the Irish budget airline Ryanair. Therefore, the air market in Central and Eastern Europe is dominated by carriers from outside the CEE region. This region is a source of passengers in its hubs for Western European players. However, the situation may gradually change after the Solidarity Airport construction in Poland, which will be the largest hub in Central and Eastern Europe, serving 45 million passengers per year in the first stage of operations. At present, the CEE region is dominated by low-cost Hungarian WizzAir and Polish traditional carrier LOT.
Air passenger transport in the CEE region
The largest airports in Central and Eastern Europe are in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, and Kyiv. The largest airport in the CEE region is Warsaw airport. In 2019 nearly 19 million passengers were served at Chopin Airport in Poland. In the first half of 2019, the airport in Kyiv developed most dynamically, with a 20 percent increase in passenger traffic. This success was influenced by the Irish carrier Ryanair, which opened its base in the Ukrainian capital. Other factors included an increase in the offer of existing airlines and the appearance of new ones such as Flydubai, SkyUp, and Lauda.
Further growth of passenger traffic on the air market in Central and Eastern Europe was halted by the coronavirus pandemic's outbreak in 2020. During this period, the demand for international and local flights was practically non-existent. It will take many years for carriers and airports to rebuild their market position before the pandemic.
