Szczyt lotniczy w Krakowie
An Aviation Summit organised as part of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union was held in Kraków on 29 – 30 May 2025. The aim of the event was to establish a common course that will be followed by EU Member States, European institutions, and the aviation industry in order to ensure sustainable growth, competitiveness, and security of the European aviation sector.
In keeping with the summit’s motto (“Towards safe, clean and competitive European aviation”), its participants discussed such issues as the phasing-in of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), increasing the share of green energy used at airport premises, introducing state-of-the-art technologies, as well as reintroducing and ensuring the safety of flight operations in Ukraine.
Mr Dariusz Klimczak, Poland’s Minister of Infrastructure, stressed during the meeting that Poland was earmarking significant funds for the expansion of the aviation industry, with a particular emphasis placed on its civilian sector. The said activities are conducted in close partnership with military air authorities, as adequate levels of safety must be ensured in connection with the events taking place behind our eastern border. “This partnership towards security plays a key role today” – said Dariusz Klimczak.
Representatives of the Polish Aviation Group companies attended the Summit as well. Michał Fijoł, President & CEO, LOT Polish Airlines and Konrad Mirowski, President & CEO, LS Airport Services (LSAS) took part in the discussions that focused on restoring air traffic in Ukraine. The following took part in the debate as well: Eddy Liegéois, Head of Aviation Policy Unit, DG Move; József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air; Andriy Yarmak, Director of the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Service Enterprise. The discussion was moderated by Magdalena Jaworska-Maćkowiak, President & CEO of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency.
While discussing the restoration of air traffic in Ukraine, Mr Mirowski noted that LS Airport Services was interested in providing adequate support and was ready to take the necessary actions, both in terms of training and preparing ground handling personnel, and by committing the assets and staff of LS Airport Services to handle all types of aircraft at Ukraine’s airports. He also noted that actual support of and commitment by the Ukrainian side will be required as well, with a particular emphasis placed on legislation and preliminary, specific talks to discuss the needs, expectations and cooperation options, so that the Polish organisation may make the necessary corrections to its plans and strategy.
LOT Polish Airlines and Poland very much want to be part of the process of reconstructing Ukraine – not only to reconnect the country with the world, but also to enable the millions of Ukrainian citizens living in Poland to visit their friends and families back home. The first flight from Lviv and Kyiv to Warsaw – and also directly to many other Polish cities – will be launched as soon as the situation permits.
We do not consider this as a return to “business as usual”. Instead, we deem our return to that market a long-term commitment to assist Ukraine in restoring the network of its flight connections and in reestablishing its presence in the European skies.
Michał Fijoł
CEO PLL LOT
“Such a comprehensive involvement by LS Airport Services would not only boost the process of reconstructing the infrastructure and restoring the human resource base of the aviation industry in Ukraine, but would also contribute to expanding the international economic and transport relations within the region” – stressed Konrad Mirowski.
He also underlined that the company was able to train the future staff of the Ukrainian aviation industry, both in Poland and in Ukraine, as its highly experienced personnel is dealing, on a daily basis, with training and on-boarding new employees tasked with handling all types of aircraft – from commercial, private, business, military to government planes.
As far as the reconstruction of Ukraine is concerned, it is worth bearing in mind that LSAS is also handling cargo at the airports in Warsaw and Katowice. The company manages the LS Cargo Park facility (where the LS Cargo Terminal is located) in Warsaw. The handling of cargo planes and processing of various types of air shipments is another area in which the experience and the extensive knowledge of the Polish ground handling agent may potentially become useful for the purpose of restoring air traffic in Ukraine.
It also worth pointing out that LSAS’ participation in the meeting held in Kraków was by no way accidental. It stemmed from the company’s growth strategy. Although LSAS was so far focusing on handling carriers operating at Polish airports, it is currently assessing the potential expansion of its operations and rendering similar services outside of Poland as well. “Such plans stem from the high ratings and the great degree of confidence our company enjoys among various airlines. They also fit in with our commitment to ensure the highest level of service” – underlines Konrad Mirowski, President & CEO, LS Airport Services.
