The 11th annual Routes Europe forum will be held this weekend at Poland’s Kraków Airport. The aviation industry representatives will discuss air services to, from and within Europe at Routes Europe 2016 taking place between 23-26 April.
Kraków Airport will host this year’s event for 1,200 delegates from 110 airlines, 310 airports and 40 tourism authorities at the EXPO Kraków convention centre.
Since joining the European Union (EU) in 2004, the Polish aviation industry has been boosted by the free movement of people and goods. Air passenger number in Poland is increased by 12.5% to 30.6 million in 2015, with much of the expansion being driven by the low-cost carriers that have entered the Polish market.
Kraków and the surrounding Małopolska region are known for their historical and cultural attractions which drew almost 14 million visitors in 2015. The tourism industry has helped to fuel the 11% increase in Kraków Airport’s passenger numbers which reached 4.2 million in 2015 (the highest in the airport’s history) and they are expected to peak at 4.6 million this year.
With its booming tourism and travel industries, Kraków is an ideal destination for Routes Europe 2016. The location has attracted most of Europe’s major airlines including Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airways, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and low-cost carriers Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian, Vueling, Wizzair and Jet2.com.
Airlines from outside Europe such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, Qatar Airways, Etihad, All Nippon Airways and China Southern Airlines will also be present.
Delegates will also get the chance to hear from industry leaders at the conference element of Routes Europe, the Strategy Summit. The speakers who will explore the latest airline issues and trends include Fernando Estrada, Chief Strategy Officer at Vueling; Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair; and Jochen Schnadt, Chief Commercial Officer at BMI Regional.
