Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.
Ławica Airport on pace to break 4M passengers
Poznań-Ławica Airport has summarized its passenger traffic for August of this year. 520,193 passengers used the airport during this time, and over 2.8 million people have used it since the beginning of the year. There's a chance it will break the 4 million passenger barrier in 2025.
The last month of summer holidays was a record-breaking month in the history of Poznań Airport, surpassing the previous best monthly result by over 15,000 passengers – in July of this year, which had previously reached just under 505,000.
Low-cost airlines accounted for the largest share of August traffic, serving over 250,000 passengers (a 12% increase). Charter flights, particularly popular during the holiday season, carried over 214,000 passengers, a 5% improvement over the previous year. Traditional airlines carried 54,500 passengers (a 22% increase).
More travelers also mean more flight operations at Poznań Airport. In August, 4,936 takeoffs and landings took place at Ławica Airport, which is 3 percent more than in 2024 and 5 percent more than planned.
Between January and August 2025, Ławica served 2,829,804 passengers, representing a 16% year-on-year increase. This means that by the end of August, approximately 75% of the planned 2025 passenger numbers had been achieved.
"The people of Poznań and the Greater Poland region want to fly, and we're continually delighted by this. August confirmed that we had a very strong holiday season, and our partners' offerings met market expectations. The growth is evident across all traffic segments: low-cost, charter, and traditional carriers. August's result brings us very close to an annual record; we remain committed to exceeding the 4 million passenger mark in 2025," says Grzegorz Bykowski, CEO of Poznań-Ławica Airport.
The launch of two exotic charter destinations in the coming months will certainly help achieve this result. Starting this winter, you'll be able to escape from Ławica to Thailand (flights to Bangkok) and to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.
Poznań Dragon Boats 2025 this Saturday at Malta Lake
On Saturday, September 27th, Poznań's Malta will be taken over by dragons. The 14th edition of the School Dragon Boat Championships, the 6th edition of the Dragon Boat Championships for Companies and Institutions, and the 8th Poznań Canoe Challenge will take place. All under one umbrella, this family-friendly event is Poznań Dragons 2025.
The 8th edition of the Poznań Canoe Challenge will feature 20 two-person kayaks (40 people) with water sports enthusiasts on board. Crews can be chosen freely – there is no age or gender separation (entry is restricted to those 18 and over). All participants will cover a distance of 5 km. Each participant receives a medal and a commemorative T-shirt for the 30 złoty entry fee, while winners will also receive trophies and attractive prizes!
In the schools' championship, 27 crews will line up at the starting line. The front of the boat will feature a dragon's head, the rear its tail, and inside will be 10 rowers, a helmsman, and a drummer. The competition aims to promote water sports among young people in Greater Poland through fun.
The final event of the day will be the 6th Dragon Boat Championship for companies and institutions – a maximum of 15 crews will be at the starting line. The competition aims to promote water sports through fun and entertainment, as well as offer an engaging way to spend free time with friends and colleagues.
There are still places available for the Canoe Challenge and Dragon Boat competitions in the FUN category for adults.
The event promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle, held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the Mayor of Poznań, is organized by the Wielkopolska Pracownia Pomysłów Foundation.
Application forms are available on the Wielkopolska Ideas Workshop Foundation website.
Increased military presence on roads across Poland.
"From September 22nd to 25th, 2025, the military tactical exercise "Fearless Eagle-25" will be conducted at Leszno Airport. The aim of the exercise is to improve the cooperation of military units in conducting tactical operations involving land and air forces," Leszno Airport announced. "Leszno Airport will be one of the operational points of this important exercise. The planned activities include both ground support and flights by aircraft from the 3rd Airlift Wing and the 2nd Tactical Air Wing. Due to the implementation of these tasks, increased air traffic from Polish Air Force aircraft and increased noise levels can be expected in the coming days. We apologize for any inconvenience and ask the residents of Leszno and the surrounding area for their understanding," it said.
However, the military will be visible not only in Leszno in the near future. " From September 23rd to the first half of October, roads almost all over the country will see increased military vehicle traffic, due to the return of forces participating in the Iron Defender-25 exercise from their training grounds to their permanent deployment locations," explains the General Command of the Armed Forces. "The journeys will take place through most voivodeships, using highways, expressways, and national roads. As with the marches to the exercises, the columns' journeys are also part of the training. The journeys will be organized to minimize the impact on current traffic. The military columns will be escorted and secured by the Military Gendarmerie and traffic control units of the Polish Army, in cooperation with the Police and local authorities," the statement noted.
The military appeals against publishing photos, recordings, locations, dates, and times of military convoy movements, or data regarding aircraft departures and landings. As noted, Iron Defender-25 is one of the largest Polish military exercises this year, with approximately 30,000 soldiers participating.
Ice Sculpture Festiva will once again take place in Poznań.
The 19th edition of the event - Ice Sculpture Festival, which attracts the best ice sculptors from around the world, is upon us. This year's event will take place from December 12th to 14th in the Old Market Square. The "small carving" competition will take place on December 12th from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. The Speed Carving competition will take place on December 13th from 12:10 PM to 6:00/7:00 PM. The Main Competition will take place on December 14th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
As announced, the winners of the small sculpture competition will receive the following prizes: 1st place - €900, 2nd place - €700, and 3rd place - €500. The winners of the main competition will receive the following prizes: 1st place - €3,000, 2nd place - €2,000, and 3rd place - €1,000.
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