Ryanair chose 29 September to announce its biggest-ever winter programme for the Polish capital. According to the carrier’s press release, three additional Boeing 737-8200 “Game-changer” jets—valued at roughly USD 300 million—will be stationed at Warsaw-Modlin, taking the base to nine aircraft. The move lifts the airport’s route map to 30 destinations, 11 of them brand-new, including Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen and Zagreb. On top of that, Ryanair will open seven fresh routes from Warsaw-Chopin (Bari, Bologna, Catania, Liverpool, Naples, Turin and Venice), bringing its network at Poland’s main hub to 16 destinations. The Irish low-cost airline expects passenger throughput at Modlin to almost double to 3.2 million this winter, while traffic at Chopin should rise 50 % to 800 000. Chief Executive Michael O’Leary framed the expansion as a vote of confidence in the Mazovia region and in Poland’s post-pandemic travel rebound, noting that Ryanair now carries more than 24 million travellers a year to and from 13 Polish airports and supports roughly 22 000 local jobs. For corporate mobility managers the extra capacity should translate into sharper fares and greater scheduling flexibility on key Western-European business corridors such as Dublin, Manchester or Stockholm, many of which will see frequency increases. The carrier has also launched a 100 000-seat sale with lead-in prices of PLN 99 (about EUR 22), valid for bookings made within the next three days. The expansion at Modlin alleviates slot congestion at Warsaw-Chopin and provides multinational firms operating in the capital with a genuine secondary-airport alternative. Given that Ryanair’s cost base is substantially lower than that of network rivals, employers can expect lower average trip budgets and easier access for visiting project teams during the traditionally busy fourth quarter. Travel-risk teams, however, should remember that Modlin lies 40 km from central Warsaw and factor in ground-transfer times when drafting itineraries.
Source: Ryanair Corporate Website
