company business profile in poland

1. Characteristics of the aviation sectorin Poland

• The Polish aviation industry has along tradition going back to thebeginning of the 20th century. After afew years of decline, the sector onceagain started to grow, which is aresult of a successful restructuringprocess in the Polish aviation sectorand cooperation with internationalaviation companies. Moreover,thanks to the growth in aircraft andhelicopter sales, the financial stand-ing of companies on the aviationmarket has improved.

• Poland is famous for the productionand maintenance of airplanes of alltypes. Manufacturing companies inPoland produce light sports, passen-ger, agricultural and training air-planes, as well as helicopters, glid-ers, and aircraft parts and acces-sories.

• Approximately 80 aviation compa-nies operate on the Polish market.90% of Poland’s aerospace produc-tion is exported. A significant shareof their output is exported, mainly tosuch countries as the USA,Venezuela, Italy, Greece, Canada,Spain, Germany, South Korea,Indonesia, Vietnam and Iraq.According to the US Department ofCommerce, the aerospace industry isone of Poland’s leading high- techindustries. The total value of produc-tion within this industry in 2006 wasestimated at $700 million.

• Total employment in the aviation sec-tor is over 20,000.

• After Poland’s accession to the EU,there was increased competition inthe civil aviation sector in Polandcaused by liberalization of the airtransportation industry and implemen-tation of the “open skies” agreement.Positive changes may be observed onthe civil aviation market, which isreflected by the 24.57% growth inthe number of passengers at Polishairports in 2007 compared to 2006.The number of connections offered bynew budget carriers and traditionalcarriers is growing rapidly. There isalso a trend toward lower ticketprices.

2. Most important companies in thePolish aviation industry

• There are many companies operatingin the Polish aviation industry. Thetable below presents some of them.

3. Cooperation connections in the avia-tion sector in Poland

• The main Polish cooperation withinthe aviation sector is the participationof LOT Polish Airlines in Star Alliance.Launched in May 1997, Star Allianceis now the largest airline alliance inthe world, with 21 members: AirCanada, Air New Zealand, ANA,Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT,Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines,South African Airways, Spanair,Swiss, Thai Airways International,

United, US Airways, Varig and TAP.Under the terms of cooperationamong the partner airlines:

– frequent flyer programme integrationallows airline miles to be earned andredeemed on all members of thealliance at the same level,

– premium customers of the alliancehave access to all members’ airportlounges,

– flight schedules are coordinated topermit almost seamless travel, whichmay include several different carriers

2 THE AVIATION SECTOR IN POLAND

Company Business profile

WSK PZL Rzeszów production of components for turbine engines

WSK PZL Âwidnik production of helicopters (PZL-SOKÓ¸, PZL-KANIA, PZL SW-4, Mi-2, PZL Mi-2plus) and glid-ers (PW-5, PW-6); cooperation products and ser-vices (for example central wing box assembly forATR-72 airplane – Aerospatiale Matra, designand manufacture of fuselage for new AB-139 heli-copter – Agusta – Bell)

Pratt & Whitney Kalisz producer of parts for aircraft engines (bevel spiralgears, gears, oil pump gears, gearshafts for acces-sory gear boxes, couplings, planet gearshafts,planet ring gears, stators for axial flow compres-sors, pump housing, tubes, tube details, carriersfor planetary reduction gears, stubshafts for tur-bine sealing, various fixtures)

PZL Mielec production of aircraft (M28 SKYTRUCKPassenger/Cargo Transport, M28B BRYZAMaritime Reconnaissance & Patrol, M18 DRO-MADER Agricultural & Fire-Fighting, M26 ISKIER-KA Air Sports & Trainer, M93M) and aircraft com-ponents

Goodrich Krosno production of landing gear components for com-mercial and military aircraft

WSK PZL Kalisz producer of aircraft piston engines, gears, shafts,oil pumps, gear transmissions, screw gears etc.

EADS PZL Warszawa production of a range of single engine aircraftincluding: PZL-104 MA WILGA 2000, PZL-106BTU-34 or BT-601 TURBO KRUK, PZL-130 TC-IIORLIK

Kombinat PZL-HYDRAL producer of power hydraulics, fuel supply andcontrol systems for aviation; castings and forgings;components for aircraft equipment

WSK PZL-Krosno S.A. production of landing gears for aeroplanes andhelicopters; production of undercarriage for air-crafts and other equipment for aviation

Hispano Suiza (SNECMA) Producer of gear wheels for military and civil avi-ation engines and gear boxes

Ultratech Sp. z o.o. Serial production to customer orders, low volumeproduction - mainly milling (profiling) operations.Production of special components ensuring safetyof aircraft flight

Source: data from company websites

within the alliance on a single ticket,– special fares for round-the-world and

similar travel on alliance membersoffer discounts over booking individ-ual itineraries,

– customer service processes are har-monized in an effort to promote aconsistent experience,

– cooperation in development of a com-mon information technology platform.

• The creation of Star Alliance was amilestone in airline history due to itssize. It sparked the formation ofrivals, notably Oneworld andSkyTeam.

• The membership of LOT PolishAirlines in the coalition of StarAlliance strengthened the position ofLOT on the Canadian and Americanmarkets, thanks among other things tothe cooperation with Air Canada(AC) and United Airlines (UA). Thecarriers cooperate with each othernot only in terms of direct connectionsto Toronto, Chicago and New York,but also through selected Europeanports, e.g. in Frankfurt, Munich andZurich. The code share contract withUA was concluded in October 2003,and at the beginning covered inter-American flights through US transitpoints in New York and Chicago. Inthe near future the list of ports includ-ed in code share flights of LOT/UAwill include Paris, Brussels,Amsterdam and London. This willimprove LOT’s offer on the Polish andAmerican markets. Source: www.lot.com, www.staral-liance.com

4. Regional, local and international air-ports in Poland

• Types, number of airports and num-ber of air connections

The system of public airports in Polandused for passenger transportationincludes 11 regional airports and onedominant capital airport (FredericChopin Airport, Warsaw), which han-dles most passengers using air trans-port. • international connecting point- Warsaw-Ok´cie (www.lotnisko-chopina.pl)Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airportremains the market leader amongPolish airports. It is operated by PolishAirports State Enterprise (PPL). LOTPolish Airlines, the largest air carrier inPoland, has been present on the market

for more than 77 years.The company services one of the largestand fastest developing European mar-kets, offering its clients a convenient net-work of air links as well as knowledgeof the region, its needs and the speedof change. LOT is a medium-sizedEuropean airline, but its fleet is one ofthe youngest and most technologicallyadvanced. In 2007, 9,268.551 pas-sengers and 63.334 tonnes of cargowere handled at Warsaw FredericChopin Airport, which accounted for48.43% and 73.41% of overall pas-sengers and cargo volume, respective-ly, handled at the main Polish airportsin 2007.

• community connecting point- Cracow-Balice (www.lotnisko-balice.pl)Cracow-Balice Airport is a facility usedjointly by military and civil aircraft. JohnPaul II Cracow-Balice InternationalAirport Ltd manages the civil part of theairport. The total area of the airport is426 ha, including approximately 24 hamanaged by John Paul II Cracow-BaliceInternational Airport Ltd. 3,042.351passengers and 3,801 tonnes of cargowere serviced at the John Paul IICracow-Balice International Airport in2007, which accounted for 15.90%and 4.41% of overall passengers andcargo volume, respectively, handled atthe main Polish airports in 2007.

• regional and accessibility point- Gdaƒsk-R´biechowo(www.airport.gdansk.pl)Lech Wa∏´sa Airport in Gdaƒsk-R´biechowo is one of the three maininternational Polish airports. Its positionis associated with a well-developed net-work of domestic and internationaltransport connections provided inresponse to the growing demand forbusiness and tourist travel. It servicesmainly the agglomeration of Gdaƒsk,Gdynia and Sopot and the wholePomeranian Province. Gdaƒsk LechWa∏´sa Airport serviced 1,708.739passengers and 4,757 tonnes of cargoin 2007, which represented 36.72%growth in the number of passengershandled and 17.85% growth in the vol-ume of cargo handled.

- Katowice-Pyrzowice(www.gtl.com.pl)Katowice International Airport inPyrzowice has an important influenceon the province of Silesia and to some

extent Opole and Ma∏opolskaprovinces. The total cargo transport ser-viced at the airport in 2007 was 7,782tonnes and the number of passengerswas 1,980.358, which represented27.30% growth in the volume of cargohandled and 37.66% growth in thenumber of passengers handled.

- Poznaƒ-¸awica(www.airport-poznan.com.pl)Poznaƒ-¸awica Airport is one of the old-est regional airports in Poland. It hasbeen in regular operation since 1913,originally as a German military facility.Today Poznaƒ-¸awica Airport is adynamically expanding business. Thereare several factors in its attractiveness:a favourable geographical position andthe highly developed economy of theWielkopolska region. The PoznaƒInternational Fair and many joint ven-tures contribute to the growth of air traf-fic. The Airport serviced 863,018 pas-sengers and 2,454 tonnes of cargo in2007, which represented 35.48%growth in the number of passengershandled and 13.80% growth in the vol-ume of cargo handled.

- Wroc∏aw-Starachowice(www.airport.wroclaw.pl)The history of Copernicus Airport inWroc∏aw goes back to the 1930’s,when Starachowice Airfield was builtfor the needs of the German air force.In June 1945 civil aviation activitieswere started with a circular airlink,Warsaw- ¸ódê -Poznaƒ -Wroc ∏aw -Katowice-¸ódê-Warsaw. The joint-stockcompany Port Lotniczy Wroc∏aw S.A.was established in January 1992. In Airport serviced 1,708.739 passen-gers and 4,757 tonnes of cargo in2007, which represented 48.13%growth in the number of passengershandled and -3.50% decrease in thevolume of cargo handled.

-Szczecin-Goleniów(www.airport.com.pl)Szczecin-Goleniów Airport was built in1956 as a military airport. The civil air-port in Szczecin-Goleniów was estab-lished in 1967 and is still being devel-oped. In 2001 a new passenger termi-nal was built, and in 2005 its develop-ment began. Since April 2006 the newmodern passenger terminal has been inuse, which increased departure effi-ciency to a million passengers yearly. In2007, 228.071 passengers and 1,774tonnes of cargo were serviced at

THE AVIATION SECTOR IN POLAND 3

Szczecin-Goleniów Airport, represent-ing 29.09% growth in the number ofpassengers handled and 263.81%growth in the volume of cargo handled.

- Rzeszów-Jasionka(www.lotnisko-rzeszow.pl)Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, with an areaof over 560 ha, operates within theorganizational structure of PolishAirports State Enterprise (PPL) as aregional port handling international airpassenger and cargo traffic operations.Rzeszów Airport accommodates thenewest runway in Poland. Its length of3,200 metres makes it one of the twolongest runways in Poland. The runwaynavigational aids enable approach andlanding operations by all types of air-craft flying from all over the world inany conditions and at any time.274.272 passengers and 508.700tonnes of cargo were handled atRzeszów-Jasionka Airport in 2007.

- Bydgoszcz-Szwederowo(www.plb.pl)The beginning of Bydgoszcz Aviationdates back to World War I, when itwas founded by German aviationauthorities. Activities aimed at restart-ing the civil Bydgoszcz Airport wereundertaken in 1992 due to economicchanges taking place in the country. Inorder to open the airport, BydgoszczAviation Association Sp. z o.o. wasfounded, which operated until June1995 and then was transformed intothe joint-stock company BydgoszczAirport SA. The company continues tomanage the airport and has trans-formed the regional airport into aninternational one. Bydgoszcz I.J.Paderewski Airport operates regularconnections with Warsaw, charterflights and general aviation. Since 30October 2005, I.J. PaderewskiInternational Airport has been operat-ing daily flights between Bydgoszczand London. In 2007 it handled181,576 passengers (36.51% morethan in the previous year) and411,057 tonnes of cargo (20.72%growth in comparison with 2006).

- ¸ódê-Lublinek(www.airport.lodz.pl)¸ódê-Lublinek Airport was opened inSeptember 1925. In 1996, after mod-ernizing the airport building and restruc-turing the air strip, the runway and theparking apron, as well as installing newnavigation lights and power supply facil-

ities, it was awarded the status of aninternational airport. Now, W∏adys∏awReymont ¸ódê Airport is in a phase ofintensive development. The enlargementof the airstrip, parking apron and run-way is coming to an end. The main tar-get of the implemented investment is toadapt the airport to service Boeing 737aircraft and create an attractive connec-tion network. In 2007, 312.365 pas-sengers and no cargo were serviced at¸ódê-Lublinek Airport.

- Zielona Góra-Babimost(www.lotnisko.zielonagora.pl)Zielona Góra-Babimost Airport is aninternational airport located in the west-ern part of Poland, 34 km northeast ofZielona Góra, the capital of Lubuskieprovince. It occupies a total area of450 ha and contains cargo and pas-senger terminals, technical supportbuildings, safety installations andequipment for passenger and cargo ser-vices. There are also 16 former militaryhangars available, which can easily bemodified for cargo storage. The airportis located at the crossroads of twomajor European transportation corri-dors, North-South (connectingScandinavia and Southern Europe) andWest-East (connecting Western andEastern Europe).Zielona Góra-Babimost Airport doesnot play an important role in the Polishaviation market, as it handled 6,739passengers and no cargo in 2007.

- Szczytno-Szymany(www.airport.szczytno.pl)Szczytno-Szymany International Airportis the only airport designed for domes-

tic and international air traffic service inWarmia-Mazury province. But it doesnot use its potential and is temporaryclosed for air traffic. In 2007 no trans-port activity was undertaken bySzczytno-Szymany InternationalAirport.

• local airportsAccording to the Ministry ofInfrastructure there are 42 local airportsin Poland. The majority of them, likeKielce-Mas∏ów Airport and ZielonaGóra-Przylep Airport, are managed byPolish Aeroclub. Others are adminis-tered by the Ministry of Defence (e.g.Radom-Sadków Airport), the MilitaryProperty Agency (e.g. Modlin Airport)or military aviation plants (e.g. airportin the area of PZL Âwidnik and PZLMielec).

After liberalization of the air transportmarket in 2004 most of the regional air-ports (chiefly those located in majorcities) have developed their own inter-national connections, particularly withthe support of cheap airlines likeeasyJet, Germanwings, Ryanair,SkyEurope and Wizz Air.

• Plans for airport infrastructure devel-opment According to The Ministry ofInfrastructure (former Ministry ofTransport) the existing airport infrastruc-ture cannot handle forecasted growthand that Poland needs to build new air-ports. The regions targeted by theMinistry or by regional authorities fornew airport construction are Mazury(North Eastern part of Poland, near


Olsztyn), Podlasie (also North-Easternpart of Poland, near Bialystok), near thecity of Lublin (South-Eastern part ofPoland), near the city of Kielce (200 kmSouth of Warsaw), Nowy Sàcz,Gdynia, Sochaczew, Radom, andKo∏obrzeg (North-Western part ofPoland). Additionally, the Ministry con-firmed that previous plans for construc-tion of a new airport hub with a capac-ity of up to 50 million passengers wereabandoned due to prevailing decentral-ization trends within the airport industryworldwide. This situation created aneed for construction of an additionalairport close to Warsaw, which wouldsupport, Warsaw Okecie Airport. A for-mer military airport in Modlin (North ofWarsaw) was chosen for low-cost carri-ers and charter flights. It is expectedthat Modlin Airport will commenceoperation in 2010.


Transport of cargo and passenger transport in 2007

City Year founded Passengers Transport Owner Shares heldof cargo by PPL(tonnes)

Warsaw 1920/1934 9,268.551 63,333 Polish Airports State Enterprise (PPL) 67.97%

Cracow 1964 3,042.351 3,801 Port Lotniczy Kraków-Balice Sp. z o.o. 76.19%

Katowice 1966 1,980.358 7,782 GórnoÊlàskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze S.A. 17.896%

Gdaƒsk 1919/1974 1,708.739 4,757 Port Lotniczy Gdaƒsk Sp. z o.o. 37.61%

Wroc∏aw 1945 1,270.825 1,457 Port Lotniczy Wroc∏aw S.A. 25.02%

Poznaƒ 1921 863.018 2,453 Port Lotniczy Poznaƒ-¸awica Sp. z o.o. 63.210%

Szczecin 1967 22.071 1,774 Port Lotniczy Szczecin-Goleniów Sp. z o.o. 60.356%

Rzeszów 1959 274.272 509 Polish Airports State Enterprise (PPL) 100.00%

Bydgoszcz 1929 181.576 411 Port Lotniczy Bydgoszcz S.A. 23.197%

¸ódê 1925 312.365 0 Port Lotniczy ¸ódê Lublinek Sp. z o.o. 0.00%

Zielona 1977 6.739 0 Polish Airports State Enterprise (PPL) 100.00%Góra

Szczytno 1996 0 0 Porty Lotnicze Mazury-Szczytno Sp. z o.o. 32.52%

Total 19,136.865 86,278

Source: Civil Aviation Office (ULC)

5. Low-cost airlines transport servicesand their growth forecasts

• According to the Civil AviationOffice, there were 16 low-cost air-lines operating on the Polish marketin 2007. The leader among them, asfar as the number of passengers isconcerned, remains WizzAir.Ryanair is ranked second. They arefollowed by Centralwings, EasyJet,Norwegian Air Shuttle and SkyEurope. These airlines are among the10 largest carriers in Poland.

• Budget carriers transported almost17,202,124 people in 2007. Thatrepresented a steady growth, as thenumber of the passengers transportedin the 2006 was 14,040,816 peo-ple.

• Low-cost carriers’s market sharetotaled 25.72% in Q1/2005, wentup sharply to 43.56% in Q1/2006and went up steadily to 48.48% inQ1/2007. At the same time, LOT’smarket share totaled 43.8%, drop-ping to 33.58% in 2006 and 31.5%in 2007.

• Liberalization of passenger air trans-portation, which was required uponPoland’s entry into the EU, has result-ed in a significant increase in thenumber of passengers using regionaldomestic airports. The number of pas-sengers in Poland grew from5,793,071 in 2000 through8,834,612 in 2004, to 11,521,443in 2005, 14,040,816 in 2006, and19,270,848 in 2007. The number ofpassengers is expected to grow to 26million in 2010, and 36 million in2015.

6. Aviation engineering centres inPoland

• There are six engineering design cen-tres for aviation in Poland.

• Research and development work inthe field of aviation is also conductedby companies operating on the avia-tion market, such as PZL Âwidnik, PZLMielec, and PZL Rzeszów.

• Companies often cooperate witheach other. An example of successfulcooperation is the Polish aerospaceindustrial cluster, “Aviation Valley,”which also cooperates with RzeszówUniversity of Technology.

• Rzeszów University of Technology isalso a coordinator of the Centre ofAdvanced Technology “AERONET –Aviation Valley,” which was estab-lished in order to conduct interdisci-plinary, collective and long-term

research and training programmesand effective implementation andcommercialization of new technolo-gies aimed at the aerospace industry.

The AERONET partners are LublinUniversity of Technology, LódêUniversity of Technology, SilesianUniversity of Technology, University


of Rzeszów, Institute of FundamentalTechnological Research (PolishAcademy of Sciences) and theAviation Valley Association.(www.aeronet.pl)

• As far as research and developmentin the field of aviation is concerned,among 25 Polish TechnologicalPlatforms, there are also a PolishTechnology Platform For Aeronauticsand a Technological Park of AircraftIndustry. Their activity is very impor-tant for absorption of financialresources from the 7th FrameworkProgramme which begun to operatein 2007.

• The Technological Park of AircraftIndustry is the new aviation project.The Aviation Industry TechnologyPark project was being completedbetween 2006 and 2008. The pro-ject, situated in the Silesia, has beendeveloped and implemented by“Bielski Park Techniki Lotniczej”, theproject’s managing company. Theproject is one of the most interesting


Source: Civil Aviation Office (ULC)

business ventures implemented andcarried out with the financial aidgranted by the European UnionFinancial Institutions. The EU fundswill contribute to the creation of themanufacturing base for aircraft man-ufacturers. A production line for lightaircraft, an aviation research-and-development center, and a center fortransportation services is a part of theproject. The airport-production com-plex occupies an area of around 32ha. A runway for test flights of lightaircrafts with the length of 700 m andthe width of 22 m is the park’s majorelement.

• Institute of Aviation in Warsaw is acentre of research, development anddesign activities in aviation and relat-ed disciplines. The Institute ofAviation is a state-owned company.Activity of the Institute is strictlyfocused on international cooperation,integrating with European and world-wide R&D domain, in the area ofaerospace and similar spheres ofhigh-tech human endeavor. Instituteemploys 498 persons, highly experi-enced scientists and technical staff. Inits laboratories, mostly of uniquecharacter, certified for ISO stan-dards, can perform specialized testsand high accuracy, specified mea-surements. Declaring following abili-ties it remains open for B2B inquiries.

7. Potential of Polish service market –repair and maintenance of aircraftsThere is great potential for the aircraftrepair and maintenance services mar-ket in Poland as more and more air-lines, often suffering from financialproblems, decide to outsource such ser-vices to reduce their operating costs.There is a new trend that may beobserved to outsource aircraft repairand maintenance services to foreigncompanies (business process off-shoring, or BPO) which offer loweroperating costs but at the same timeprovide high-quality service. The oppor-tunities for Poland in this respect aretied to the long tradition of the aviationindustry in Poland, the developed air-port network and growing market forair transport.1 For example, 3MCompany’s Aerospace and AircraftMaintenance Department will build anaerospace-products plant in Wroclaw,Poland, by 2009. According to the 3MCompany, the next expansion into

Poland is a response to the ongoingneeds of company’s global aerospacecustomers, witch are located in Europeand Asia.Existing investments and declarations offuture investments in this sector inPoland are linked to offset programmesof individual foreign companies (e.g.Embraer, Bombardier, ATC). LOT Polish Airlines S.A., the biggest aircarrier on the Polish market, which holdsa Part-145 Certificate, has its owndepartment that provides LOT with somemaintenance and repair (MOR) ser-vices. The rest of the services are sup-plied by the many subcontractors whocooperate with LOT. In June 1999, LOTand GE Engine Services signed a trans-action agreement for the formation of an

engine maintenance venture. The com-pany, called Central European EngineServices Sp. z o.o., was established in2000. It services LOT engines in coop-eration with GE Engine Services.

8. Characteristics of the aviation indus-try cluster in Podkarpackie Province

Aviation Valley, located in south-east-ern Poland, is famous for its aerospaceindustry and pilot training centres. Thisregion has a heavy concentration ofaerospace industry, scientific researchcentres, as well as educational andtraining facilities. Among the mainobjectives of this organization are:• organization and development of a

low cost supply chain;


Source: www.dolinalotnicza.pl1 Source: McKinsey&Company, “Polska – centrumus∏ug dla Europy?,” Warsaw, 2003

• creation of favourable conditions toenhance the development of aero-space industry enterprises in theregion;

• further development of aerospaceresearch, aptitude and skill;

• cooperation with universities of tech-nology, which would promote newideas and scientific research withinthe aerospace industry;

• promotion of the Polish aerospaceindustry;

• protection of enterprises and busi-nesses in the aerospace industry;

• influence on the Polish government’seconomic policy towards the aero-space industry and its domain.

The Aviation Valley Association current-ly represents 72 companies within theregion and employ over 20,000 expe-rienced people. The structure of theircooperation is presented in the accom-panying diagram.The latest actions of the association con-cern the P-4 sub-project, a Polish part ofINTERREG III C ADEP. The project hasbeen targeted at the development andpromotion of an innovation cluster forcompanies in the aviation sector withinPodkarpackie Province. Its main tasksconcern:• developing a specialized portal con-

taining, among other items, a data-base of offers of enterprises related toaviation, and a database ofresearch and personnel needs,

• cooperation with SMEs, • intensive promotional activities such

as conferences and participation ininternational venues,

• implementing best practices from thepartners’ region in various fields ofthe cluster development, and

• closer cooperation between R&Dunits and the SME sector.

9. Educational institutions in Polandwith aviation-related programmes

The quality of education in the field ofaviation is very high in Poland. Polishgraduates offer access to a well-educat-ed workforce. Among the most significant higher edu-cation centers connected with the avia-tion sector are:

10. Part-145 CertificateA Part-145 Certificate issued by theEuropean Aviation Safety Agency con-firms that a company meets rules and stan-dards required in the European Union inthe field of technical services of aircrafts. • Certification procedurePhase 1 – Pre-applicationAn applicant should conduct a thor-ough review of the appropriate regula-

tions and advisory material to provideguidance for personnel, facility, equip-ment, and documentation requirements.Following this review, the applicantmust address in Pre-applicationStatement of Intent (PASI) how theserequirements will be met. Phase 2 - Formal ApplicationTo begin the Formal Application Phasethe team will receive the applicationand attachments. As a rule, the teamwill meet with the applicant after receiv-ing the formal application package. Allquestions about the proposed opera-tion, the formal application, and attach-ments should be resolved at this time.The meeting should consist of the certifi-cation team members and all key man-agement personnel from the applicant’sorganization.


Phase 3 - Document ComplianceIn this phase, the application is thor-oughly reviewed for approval or disap-proval, and the manual and relatedattachments are reviewed for accep-tance or rejection. This review ensuresboth conformity to the applicable regu-lations and safe operating practices.This phase is done in the district officeby the certification team. Phase 4 - Demonstration and InspectionIn this phase the certification teamensures that the applicant’s proposedprocedures are effective and that facili-ties and equipment meet regulatoryrequirements. The Certification ProjectManager must decide if demonstrationsare required.Phase 5 - CertificationOnce the applicant meets the regulato-ry requirements of CFR Part 145, thecertification team will issue the repairstation certificate and operations speci-fications with the appropriate ratings.

11. Military Aircraft Works (WZL)

• Military Aircraft Works No. 1founded in 1944Location: ¸ódêMain activities:• elaboration of airborne equipment

and flight security radio engineeringequipment overhaul technology;

• overhaul of aircrafts and flight securi-ty radio equipment;

• routine and periodic maintenance ofaircrafts;

• modification of aircraft interiors;Source: www.wzl1.mil.pl• Military Aircraft Works No. 2founded in 1946Location: BydgoszczMain activities:• comprehensive refurbishment of air-

craft: MiG-29, Su-22, TS-11 Iskra; • repair of aircraft: PZL-101 Gawron,

PZL-110 Koliber, PZL-104 Wilga; • modernization of SAR special pur-

pose aircraft; • modernization and installation of

additional instruments in aircraft:GPS, VOR, ILS, DME, IFF, TACAN;

• repair and maintenance of hydraulic,pneumatic and other flight systems;

• repair of industry automatic devices; • installation of flight decoders basedon ATM-QAR-type devices. Source: www.wzl2.mil.pl

• Military Aircraft Works No. 3

founded in 1945Location: D´blinMain activities:Overhaul services involving• preventive and emergency repair ofboth military and civil airplanes andequipment;• repair of air engines and technical

units used in operation of airplanes andhelicopters;• modernization, up-grade, mainte-

nance and servicing of airplanes,engines and a broad range ofground equipment.

Source: www.wzl3.mil.pl• Military Aircraft Works No. 4founded in 1951Location: WarsawMain activities (depending on partner-ship type):


BYDGOSZCZ

WARSZAWA

¸ÓDèD¢BLIN

Entities holding a Part-145 certificate, as of 24 July 2008

12. Characteristics of fleet and technicalbase of the national carrier, LOT Polish

AirlinesThe strong point of LOT is its modernfleet and its comprehensive network ofair connections covering the majorcities around Western and Central-Eastern Europe as well as the USA andCanada. Year after year the overallnumber of passengers using PolishAirlines LOT is increasing.

LOT is the largest Polish airline, with 54modern airplanes:

• Five Boeing 767-300 ER airplanes• Two Boeing 767-200 ER airplanes• Two Boeing 737-400 airplanes

• Six Boeing 737-500 airplanesand smaller planes offering both busi-ness and economy class seats:

• Four Embraer-175 airplanes• Ten Embraer-170 airplanes• Eleven Embraer ERJ-145 airplanes• Eight ATR-72 airplanes• Six ATR-42-500 airplanes

According to the past annual reports,forecasts for the future development ofLOT Polish Airlines are optimistic.Thanks to the membership in StarAlliance, the Polish national airline hasbecome a part of a global network

with broad access to multiple destina-tion points. This provides additionalground for optimism in the airline’sfuture outlook. The number of passen-gers as well as revenues are definitelyexpected to grow, thanks both to thenumber of flight connections offeredand the growing confidence based onthe stable image of the company ondomestic and foreign markets.


14. Prospects for the aviation sector inPoland

• Poland may become the world’s lead-ing producer of light aircraft, becauseof its tradition, human resources(experienced staff) and the necessaryinfrastructure.

• Significant opportunities for the avia-tion sector involve:

o development of design activities atengineering design centres,

o development of maintenance activi-ties at aircraft maintenance centres,

o development of a low cost supplychain.

• As far as passenger air transport isconcerned, growth depends on gov-ernment policy and the policy ofagencies responsible for the aviationsector. To stimulate market growth,Polish government and local govern-ments should support an increase indomestic traffic and agree to loweraircraft fees.

• Great advantages for both cargo andpassenger air transport are connect-ed with the development of regionalairports in Poland. Local authorities,with the help of EU funds, may devel-op existing airports (such as militaryairports and airports owned by aero-clubs) as well as build new ones.Such initiatives may be taken in theform of public-private partnerships(PPP).

• There is a threat, that the air carriermarket in Poland is formerly dominat-ed by the national carrier, LOT PolishAirlines. However, LOT’s marketshare is being steadily eroded by lowcost airlines, which began operationin Poland in summer 2004. In 2005,LOT’s market share totaled 43.8%,dropping to 33.58% in 2006 and31.5% in 2007 due to more opencompetition. The treasury ministryplans a full privatisation of the nation-al airline PLL Lot, but, the processcould be held after 2008.

• Experts say that the main disadvan-tage for the Polish aviation sectorresults from the fact that there is noclear strategy for its development.

• Poland’s strengths in the aviationsector are: country’s traditions in theaviation sector, the development ofmanufacturing and R&D by the exist-ing foreign investors, competitiveproduction costs, the availability ofqualified personnel and other favor-able factors relating to the aviationcluster, a well developed network ofsub-contractors, the activity of the

Aviation Valley Association (72firms, over 20 000 workplaces, 80%the production is mainly exported), alarge network of international andnational airports – 11 in all, a welldeveloped structure in educationand training.

2 Source: www.pzlmielec.pl


Most important foreign investors in the aviation sector in Poland in 2007

company business profile in poland

Documents