Polish aviation competitiveness at the New Mobility Congress
On 24 September 2025, during the New Mobility Congress in Katowice, debates devoted to the aviation industry were held. Speakers at the event discussed the competitiveness of Polish aviation, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the costs associated with its production, as well as decarbonisation and the industry’s contribution to the green transition. Is zero carbon emissions possible in aviation, or should low carbon emissions be the goal instead?
Radosław Stępień, CEO of Polish Aviation Group, noted that an airport is a complex organisation. – By building individual elements step by step, for example a standard enterprise management system, we can simulate everything and build this type of solution – he claimed. He emphasised the importance of digital transformation in the struggle for competitive edge – from automation and artificial intelligence to the use of digital twins and augmented reality in operations management and staff training. – This reduces costs, but also reduces the number of errors and probably accidents as well – said the CEO of PAG.
According to Michał Fijoł, CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, at the present stage of technological development, emission-free flying on short- and medium-haul routes is not possible. – There is still a lot to be done in this area. LOT undertakes numerous initiatives and investments to achieve the lowest possible emissions. The national carrier’s long-haul flights are performed on Dreamliners, medium-haul flights on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, and soon short-haul flights will be performed on the state-of-the-art Airbus A220 fleet. As an experienced user of new designs, we realise that modern aircraft do have their limitations, which we take into account when putting them into service – Fijoł reminded the audience.
– Our emissions for 2025 cost over PLN 250 million. Our expenditure on SAF is PLN 100 million. These two elements alone amount to over PLN 350 million. With a turnover of PLN 11 billion, this accounts for 3 percent of the financing of these low-carbon projects. With airline profitability in Europe at a few per cent, this will affect both its results and competitiveness – enumerated CEO of LOT Polish Airlines.
According to Fijoł, it will be difficult to replace engines that require kerosene with other environmentally friendly substances. – Technological progress continues, and we will be watching it closely.’ Wherever we can reduce emissions, we do so, but this is not possible everywhere.
We are in favour of reducing emissions and are continuing our efforts to make aviation greener – assured the national carrier’s CEO.
What challenges does LOT Polish Airlines face in achieving its climate objectives? – Our objective is to reduce emissions by 45 percent in 2040 compared to 2019. We also want to increase our efficiency in terms of aircraft fill rate – declared Alicja Bulakt, expert on Sustainable Transformation of Environmental Regulations at LOT Polish Airlines. – The issue at stake is the cost of introducing SAF, which we are currently facing – noted the national carrier’s representative. So, is zero emissions feasible for LOT Polish Airlines by 2050? – It is difficult to answer this question with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I believe this will be the case, but we need to have support in the form of appropriate regulations – emphasised Bułat.
Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe, was more sceptical. – Technologically, we will certainly be ready, but it will be more difficult to achieve this at the political level. Let’s not be naive. The costs are too high. We need to be sure that decision-makers will also take responsibility for green ambitions and facilitate the transformation of our industry with appropriate regulations. Airlines cannot pay for this themselves – appealed Ourania Georgoutsakou.
The green transition is not the only challenge facing the aviation industry. Another debate addressed the issue of the competitiveness of Polish aviation. – Polish perspective does not differ greatly from the European one. We are bound by the same regulations, particularly those concerning sustainable development and climate change. LOT Polish Airlines is just as vulnerable to losing its competitive edge as other European airlines. We all share the same objective, and we do not dispute that. We need to decarbonise aviation, but not all of us – and here I am referring to non-EU carriers – operate under the same conditions – noted Robert Ludera, Registered Representative, Director of the Network Bureau, LOT Polish Airlines.
According to the national carrier’s representative, European aviation is often burdened with more regulations, which are more demanding and costly compared to non-EU partners and competitors. – The costs are very high and have tripled over the last ten years.
We must strive to level the playing field between European carriers and partners outside the EU. It is noteworthy to mention the commitments related to ETS and SAF. Non-EU airlines benefit from this by offering cheaper flights with a transfer at their hub. In addition, we have higher standards in the EU, and consequently higher costs, in terms of passenger rights. We ensure that, should any irregularities occur, this passenger is provided with appropriate comfort and service. However, should you be travelling back to the EU, airlines from our continent have different obligations than carriers from outside Europe, and this is also something to bear in mind
Robert Ludera,
Registered Representative, Director of the Network Bureau, LOT Polish Airlines
Marcin Hadaj, spokesperson for the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency, emphasised that the entire industry needs broad and effective cooperation between all stakeholders. – Operational contacts between all European air navigation agencies should be extremely effective and regular in order to manage airspace availability and create conditions that ensure that, in situations where there is an increase in operations, they are safe and punctual, which directly affects the interests of passengers. What we have in Poland at the moment is four times below the objective set by the European Union. On average, it goes down to about 15 seconds per flight operation, and it keeps decreasing. The EU average is approximately two to three times higher than Poland’s achievements, despite highly challenging aerial conditions and requirements in eastern Poland, for example. We all remember what happened there a few days ago and how it affected the operation of airports in Warsaw, Modlin, Lublin and Rzeszów – Hadaj said, referring to Russian drones breaching Polish airspace.
According to him, PANSA is only now catching up after the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus, when it was unable to bear the burden of what would happen after the pandemic. – I can venture to say that we are the most effective ANSP in Europe in terms of the number of air traffic controller applicants currently undergoing training. That is a total of over 200 individuals at various stages of the course before obtaining their final licence. This also increases the potential to meet all the needs related to the expectations of partners in the aviation industry – admitted Hadaj.
