OREANDA-NEWS. In early July 2014, first Ryanair's planes took off from Krakow and Wroclaw to Gdansk. The launch of the new holiday routes is a prelude of the Irish airline's expansion on the Polish market of passenger flights. As a next step, the company plans to open a new operational base at the Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport. The airline's development will benefit not only passengers, the city of Gdansk and its airport, but also LOTOS ? Air BP Polska, which supplies fuel to this largest private air carrier in Poland.

For an air carrier, having a regular relationship with an aviation fuel supplier is one of the crucial elements of business success. The fuel price is undoubtedly a key factor, but what also counts is stable product quality, such as is guaranteed by fuel from the Gdansk refinery of Grupa LOTOS. Timely fuelling is of crucial importance too, since any possible departure delays could entail additional costs for the airline. LOTOS - Air BP Polska has been consistently building its image of a reliable supplier which provides fuel on time and in expected quantities.

"In our development we follow a path of evolution. We have placed the highest priority on increasing the number of direct customers," says Artur Wysocki, President of the LOTOS ? Air BP Polska Management Board. "We refuelled the first plane in Gdansk in 2009. In 2012, we still had only a few regular customers in Poland, but a real breakthrough came last year with a several-fold increase in the number of airlines to which we deliver fuel. Currently, we refuel planes for the largest foreign air carriers, including Ryanair".

LOTOS - Air BP Polska handles plane refuelling operations at the airports in Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow and Katowice. It also delivers its product on a wholesale basis to Rzeszow, where the refuelling operations are handled by the airport's staff.

In 2014, development prospects for the entire sector of air carriage services, including LOTOS - Air BP Polska, are based on the 2013 report prepared by the Polish Organisation of Oil Industry and Trade, which indicates a 10% year-on-year growth in the consumption of aviation fuel. This trend is also confirmed by data from the Polish Civil Aviation Authority. Last year, passenger traffic at the Polish airports was close to 25 million, a growth of 15.1% over 2011.

Knowledge of the local market and fuel supply capacities of LOTOS - Air BP Polska will play a crucial role in the development of air traffic in Poland.