First restructuring stage ends at Polish Airports

The first stage of the new restructuring programme has come to an end at Polish Airports. The end of June saw nearly 500 employees go.

Polish Airports’ employees are resigning under a Voluntary Redundancy Programme, agreed with trade unions. At the end of June employment at the company dropped by 485 jobs and by the end of the year additional 300 people are expected to resign (up to now Polish Airports employed nearly 2200 people).

According to Michał Kaczmarzyk, managing director of Polish Airports, the employment restructuring costs will total over 250 million zlotys. However, the downsizing is expected to save the company around 100 million zlotys per year.

“We think of this as an investment, with a payback period of 2.5 to 3 years. This means the downsizing will improve the performance of the company very quickly,” said Mr Kaczmarzyk.

The end of the initial stage of the restructuring programme also means changing the company’s organizational structure. Mr Kaczmarzyk said: “As of 1 July, some of the departments will be shut down, others will be merged; in some cases we will distribute tasks and competences differently. The aim is to facilitate the decision-making process and improve the company’s efficiency.”

Polish Airports is also working on a new strategy for the next few years and a new Master Plan for Warsaw Chopin Airport.

“Polish Airports” State Enterprise (PPL) was established in 1987. Its activities include the construction and operation of airports and provision of services to airlines and passengers. Polish Airports is the operator of Warsaw Chopin Airport and Zielona Góra Airport. It also holds stake in 10 companies operating regional airports in Kraków, Szczecin, Poznań, Gdańsk, Modlin, Wrocław, Katowice, Szczytno, Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów.