18.10.2023
The summer charter season is ending. 57,000 passengers flew from Łódź on vacations organised by travel agencies. This is 12,000 more than estimated at the beginning of the season.
This year, tourists flew on vacation to the Turkish Riviera, the Greek islands of Zakynthos, Crete and Rhodes, and to Burgas in Bulgaria.
All destinations were very popular, but the bestselling one was Türkiye. This is a nationwide trend. According to the Polish Chamber of Tourism, as many as 36% clients of travel agencies bought trips to this country. At the beginning of the season, five planes were supposed to fly from Łódź to Antalya a week, but the destination was selling so well that travel agencies added a sixth plane to meet the demand of Łódź residents.
Tourists were also eager to relax in Greece, only flights to Rhodes ended prematurely, already at the end of July, due to fires on the island and numerous cancellations of this destination and exchange of reservations for other holiday destinations.
“At the beginning of the season, we estimated that we would serve 45,000 passengers on charter planes, and this was supposed to be the best summer charter result in 10 years. It turned out that 12,000 more travelers flew from Łódź on vacation, which sums up to 57,000 travelers, and this number may increase even more because the last charter to Türkiye will depart on October 21. Organised vacation departing from Łódź were offered by all the largest travel agencies: Coral Travel, TUI, Rainbow, Grecos Holiday and Itaka. We count on good cooperation also in 2024," says Robert Makowski, commercial director of Łódź Airport.
Most travel agencies have already announced their offers for next year. In addition to Turkey, Bulgaria and the Greek islands: Crete, Rhodes and Zakynthos, new destinations will be added - including Tunisia. First minute offers are already on sale. Airport research shows that passengers of charter planes are not only residents of Łódź and the voivodeship. Passengers from Gdańsk, Wrocław and the Masovian, Greater Poland and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships also flew on holiday from central Poland. They justified their decision to start their journey from Łódź by the lower price of the holiday or by social reasons - that is, spending the holiday in a larger group dominated by Łódź residents. There were also passengers who said they reached the airport on foot. They were so close to Retkinia and the Pienista estate that they came with their suitcases.
“There are comments that the Łódź airport comes alive only during holiday charters, but this is not true. By the end of September, the airport served 272,000 passengers, and charter customers made 20% of it. 80% are customers of low-cost flights to England, Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Italy," says Dr. Anna Midera, president of the Łódź Airport.
Thanks to its diverse offer, the airport has many interesting directions for off-season holidays, both for those who like to bathe in the sun and for those who prefer active sightseeing, cycling, skiing or playing golf. You can fly from Łódź to Alicante on the Costa Blanca all year round, where the sun shines 300 days a year, and on October 29, a new Spanish destination will debut - Malaga on the Costa del Sol.
Autumn and winter are a perfect time for a trip from Łódź to Milan Bergamo, from where you can easily get to Lakes Como and Garda, Verona and the ski slopes in the Alps and Dolomites. Ryanair planes will fly to Bergamo twice a week. Flights to Nottingham/East Midlands will return on October 30.
During the winter season, there'll be daily flights to London Stansted. In addition to the new routes, there are also destinations perfect for a weekend trip, such as Brussels and Dublin.
Charter offers from Łódź for the Summer 2024 season: Bulgaria, Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos), Turkey (Antalya, Bodrum), Tunisia.
Regular offer from Łódź for the Winter 2023/2024 season: Alicante, Brussels Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, London Stansted, Malaga, Milan Bergamo.