Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Dataset A1 - Flight Stage dataset: periodic flight stage data registered for airport-to-airport routes, and broken down by arrivals/departures, scheduled/non-scheduled, passenger service/all-freight and mail service, airline information and aircraft type. The values provided concern passengers on board, freight and mail on board, commercial air flights as well as passenger seats available.
Dataset B1 - On Flight Origin/Destination dataset: periodic on flight origin/destination data registered for airport-to-airport routes, and broken down by arrivals/departures, scheduled/non scheduled, passenger service/all-freight and mail service and airline information. The values provided concern passengers carried and freight and mail loaded or unloaded.
Dataset C1 - Airport dataset: periodic airport data registered for declaring airports, and broken down by airline information. The values provided concern total passengers carried, total direct transit passengers, total transfer (indirect transit) passengers (optional variable), total freight and mail loaded or unloaded, total commercial aircraft movements and total aircraft movements.
Till 2022 datasets A1 and B1 were delivered on a quarterly basis (data were presented on a monthly basis), while dataset C1 was provided on an annual basis or - in some cases (voluntary) - on a quarterly basis (data were presented on a monthly basis or annual basis).
Since 2023 datasets A1 and B1 are delivered on a bimonthly basis (data are presented on a monthly basis), while dataset C1 is provided on a bimonthly basis or - in some cases - on an annual basis (data are presented on a monthly basis or annual basis).
Category 0 airports (i.e. handling less than 15 000 passenger units annually) do not submit the datasets.
3.2. Classification system
Airports are classified according to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) airport coded as listed in ICAO document 7910.
Aircrafts are classified according to aggregated aircraft categories based on the ICAO aircraft codes as listed in ICAO document 8643.
Airlines are classified according to the ICAO airline codes as listed in the ICAO document 8585.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Air transport - commercial air services and civil aircraft movements for the airports with traffic in excess of 15 000 passenger units annually.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The main concepts used in this domain are the following:
Community airport - adefined area on land or water in a Member State subject to the provisions of the treaty, which is intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure and surface movement of aircraft and open for commercial air services.
Flight stage - the operation of an aircraft from take-off to its next landing. This is linked to the definition of passengers (or freight and mail) on board.
Passengers on board - all passengers on board of the aircraft upon landing at the reporting airport or at taking off from the reporting airport. All revenue and non-revenue passengers on board an aircraft during a flight stage. Includes direct transit passengers (counted at arrivals and departures).
Direct transit passengers - passengers who, after a short stop, continue their journey on the same aircraft on a flight having the same flight number as the flight on which they arrive.
Transfer (indirect transit) passengers - passengers arriving and departing on a different aircraft within 24 hours, or on the same aircraft bearing different flight numbers. They are counted twice: once upon arrival and once on departure.
Freight and mail on board - all freight and mail on board of the aircraft upon landing at the reporting airport or at taking off from the reporting airport. All freight and mail on board an aircraft during a flight stage. Includes direct transit freight and mail (counted at arrivals and departures). Includes express services and diplomatic bags. Excludes passenger baggage.
On flight origin and destination - traffic on a commercial air service identified by a unique flight number subdivided by airport pairs in accordance with point of embarkation and point of disembarkation on that flight. For passengers, freight or mail where the airport of embarkation is not known, the aircraft origin should be deemed to be the point of embarkation; similarly, if the airport of disembarkation is not known, the aircraft destination should be deemed to be the point of disembarkation. This is linked to the definition of passengers carried and freight and mail loaded or unloaded.
Passengers carried - all passengers on a specific flight (with one flight number) counted once only and not repeatedly on each individual stage of that flight. All revenue and non-revenue passengers whose journey begin or terminates at the reporting airport and transfer passengers joining or leaving the flight at the reporting airport. Excludes direct transit passengers.
Freight and mail loaded or unloaded - all freight and mail loaded onto or unloaded from an aircraft. Includes express services and diplomatic bags. Excludes passenger baggage. Excludes direct transit freight and mail.
Passenger unit - one passenger unit is equivalent to either one passenger or 100 kilograms of freight and mail.
3.5. Statistical unit
The data are collected at individual airport level.
3.6. Statistical population
Community airports of three categories, as defined by the Regulation (EC) N°1358/2003, submit the datasets:
Category "1": Airports with between 15 000 and 150 000 passenger units per year transmit only aggregated airport data (dataset C1).
Category "2": Airports with more than 150 000 passenger units and less than 1 500 000 passenger units per year transmit flight stage data, on flight origin destination data as well as aggregated airport data (datasets A1, B1 and C1).
Category "3": Airports with at least 1 500 000 passenger units per year transmit flight stage data, on flight origin destination data as well as aggregated airport data (datasets A1, B1 and C).
Category "0" airports: Airports with less than 15 000 passenger units per year are considered as having only "occasional commercial traffic" without obligation to report – they do not submit the datasets.
For the purpose of defining the airport category in year N, the reference year taken into account for the calculation of the passenger units is:
— for category 0, 1 and 2 airports: year N-2,
— for category 3 airports: year N (except for the reporting of year 2003 tables where 2001 passenger units are taken into account and for the reporting of year 2004 tables where 2003 passenger units are taken into account).
Airports for which passenger units decreased between year N-2 and year N-1 may use year N-1 as the reference year for their classification.
Note: Due to the covid-19 pandemic impact on the airport services, the list of categories of airports has been frozen - based on 2019 reference year - for the data provisions 2022 onwards in order to assure a continuity and coherence in the data provision.
3.7. Reference area
International airports located on the territory of Poland.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The datasets A1 and B1 are transferred from 2004 in the case of the Okęcie - Warsaw airport, and the remaining airports since 2006. Information on airport traffic (dataset C1) are provided since 2002 reference year for all airports.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Passengers: passenger
Freigh and mail: tonne (to three decimal places)
Aircraft flights/movements: flight/movement
Passenger seats available: passenger seat
Reference period is a month (or - in case of few airports - a year) for C1 and a month for A1, B1.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
European level: until 2002, the data were provided to Eurostat on a voluntary basis; since 2002 data provision is based on an EP and Council framework legal act and on several implementing Commission Regulations:
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The procedures with regard to statistical confidentiality follows the
The statistics, based on datasets: A1, B1, C1, are published in Eurostat Database (Database by themes/Transport/Air transport).
Release calendar is available on the EUROSTAT website.
Aggregated data, based on dataset B1, are published in Transport – activity results in ...(year) ("Transport - wyniki działalności w ... roku", Polish-English version available in pdf and xlsx format, for a wide range of years, see: Archive available on the publication website)
table "International passenger traffic at airports in Poland by countries of arrival/departure of passengers"
table "International passenger traffic at airports in Poland by cities"
Calendar of publications is available on thewebsite
8.3. Release policy - user access
The users are informed about the release date in the Statistical Survey Program of Official Statistics for 2023 (Program Badań Statystycznych Statystyki Publicznej na rok 2023 [PBSSP]). The policy provides for dissemination of statistical data to all users at the same time, the scope of dissemination: to the public. The data are available free of charge. The data are available in excel format. Extra analysis, in compliance with confidentiality rules, can be made for a fee.
The most important publication in the field of transport (including air transport) is "Transport – activity results in ...(year)" ("Transport - wyniki działalności w ... roku.", Polish-English version available in pdf and xlsx format, for a wide range of years, see: Archive available on the publication website).
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The results can be found in the database on Eurostat websites
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable to air transport statistics.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Metodology follows the Reference Manual on Air Transport Statistics v.17.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
There are national procedures applied for quality management, e.g. every year the quality report is prepared (for internal purposes, not available for the public).
11.1. Quality assurance
The system follows as far as possible the European Statistics Code of practice and Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System, more precisely Principle 4: Commitment to Quality:
"Quality policy is defined and made available to the public. An organisational structure and tools are in place to deal with quality management (...). There are procedures in place to plan, monitor and improve the quality of the statistical processes.
Procedures based on quality reporting are in place to internally monitor product quality. Results are analysed regularly and improving actions are undertaken, if needed (for example after obtaining annual summary results and mirror checks reports from Eurostat). There is a regular and thorough review of the key statistical outputs using also external experts where appropriate."
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Data quality can be assessed as high. There is a set of validation rules and quality checks put in place. The data providers are asked to provide explanations or/and revise the data accordingly if needed. Mirror checks and consistency over time checks are prepared and the results are compared with the data published by the airports at their websites or other data sources if available.
Once a year quality check and mirror check are initiated by Eurostat. Based on international data, additional revision is performed.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Data on flights, commercial aircraft movements, routes, numbers of passengers, amount of transported freight and mail as well as seats available provides an important basis for decision-making of politics, society and economy in the context of the development and promotion of transport projects.
The main users are: governmental institutions, enterpreneurs, individual users.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable - opinions are not collected.
12.3. Completeness
The collection of data on air transport statistics is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 437/2003. Information on freight and mail (on board, loaded/unloaded) in international traffic in dataset A1 and B1 is not provided by one airport. From 2021 onwards the number of transfer passengers (voluntary value in dataset C1) is provided by few airports (those which keep the register of transfer passengers).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Overall accuracy of the air transport statistics data can be assesed as good.
Some airports encounter problems with multi-stage flights registration. There are some discrepancies between data on freight presented by partner airports following from inappropriate information flow between airlines, handlers and airports, especially visible at the national level in case of multi-stage flights.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Most common:
incorrect type of weight unit (loaded goods in kg instead of tonnes), possible RSF included in freight and mail on board/carried mass,
flights with no passengers/freight/mail included in datasets A1,
transit passengers included in dataset B1,
incorrect multi-stage flight registration in A1 and B1 (i.e. incorrect: number of passengers, freight and mail mass, partner airports).
14.1. Timeliness
From 2021 onwards all the statistics required by the provisions of the Regulation 437/2003 are transmitted to Eurostat not later than 6 months after the reference month.
Till 2022 monthly data were provided on a quarterly basis. Since 2023 monthly data are provided on a bimonthly basis.
14.2. Punctuality
Since 2021 till 2022, monthly data were provided to Eurostat on a quarterly basis within Q+3.
Since 2023, monthly data are provided to Eurostat on a bimonthly basis within M+2/3.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
No key comparability problems detected.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data comparable from 2004.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The data comparison with other sources is not made.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Data consistent from 2004.
The burden imposed on airports is reduced to minimum. Data providers submit the data via IT tool.
17.1. Data revision - policy
There is a set of validation rules and quality checks put in place. The data providers are asked to provide explanations or/and revise the data accordingly if needed. Mirror checks and consistency over time checks are prepared and the results are compared with the data published by the airports at their websites or other data sources if available.
Once a year quality check and mirror check are initiated by Eurostat. Based on international data, additional revision is performed.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The policy described in 17.1 is fully implemented.
Additionally, some corrections are initiated by the airports themselves.
18.1. Source data
Source of data: airports registers.
Dataset A1 – Data Suppliers (Passengers on board/Freight and mail on board): Airports
Aircraft Information in A1:
Polish Airports get information on the basis of electronic movement messages, from different sources as: ATC reports Airport Services Airports Fees Departments
Seats information information in A1:
Polish Airports get information from airlines, when possible reported on the basis of commercial data (mostly in case of scheduled flights), and based on technical parametres in case of other movements (e.g. non-scheduled flights).
Dataset B1 –Data Suppliers (Passengers carried/Freight and mail loaded/unloaded): Airports
Datasets A1 and B1 - Use of Air Waybill Data as information source of freight data: Data suppliers do not include freight transported by truck into data sent to CSO.
Dataset C1 – Bodies that supply the direct transit information to the CNA: This information is collected in cooperation with airlines by airports authority. Polish airports supply the data to CSO via IT tool.
Dataset C1 – Bodies that supply the commercial and total aircraft movement to the CNA:
This information is collected in cooperation with airlines and Air Traffic Control Agency by airports authority.
Polish airports supply the data to CSO via IT tool.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Dataset A1, B1 till 2022 - quarterly, since 2023 - bimonthly
Dataset C1 till 2022 - annually (or quarterly - on the voluntary basis), since 2023 - bimonthly or (few airports) annually.
18.3. Data collection
The data are collected from respondents in excel questionnaires via IT tool. The scope of information in questionnaires are compliant with the ones required by the Regulations.
Meeting deadlines of data delivery is monitored.
The data are finally combined and initially checked in CSO before they are forwarded to Eurostat.
18.4. Data validation
The results are monitored and validated on a regular basis. The following activities are undertaken to ensure high quality of data:
validation of coding with ICAO lists (airports, airlines, airplanes),
comparison of the number of passengers with the amount of seats offered on the plane,
check of the number of passengers per flight (in dataset A1 and C1),
check of the amount of cargo per flight (in dataset A1 and C1)
check of empty flights (no passengers, freight, mail),
interdataset checks.
18.5. Data compilation
The data received from the airports are compiled, verified and finally delivered to Eurostat. Some mistakes in raw data, i.e. inappropriate coding, are corrected by CSO if possible.
Problems on data compilation, validation and delivery :
For the time being, not all databases of the Polish airports are fully compatible with the requirements of the Regulation. The most significant errors following from the incompatibility are the following:
multi-stage flights recorded inappropriately (previous/next airport is sometimes given instead of on flight/destination airport),
direct transit passengers recorded only once (at departures),
freight/mail not presented in cross-section "aircraft type" in individual cases.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applied for air transport data collection.
No comments.
Dataset A1 - Flight Stage dataset: periodic flight stage data registered for airport-to-airport routes, and broken down by arrivals/departures, scheduled/non-scheduled, passenger service/all-freight and mail service, airline information and aircraft type. The values provided concern passengers on board, freight and mail on board, commercial air flights as well as passenger seats available.
Dataset B1 - On Flight Origin/Destination dataset: periodic on flight origin/destination data registered for airport-to-airport routes, and broken down by arrivals/departures, scheduled/non scheduled, passenger service/all-freight and mail service and airline information. The values provided concern passengers carried and freight and mail loaded or unloaded.
Dataset C1 - Airport dataset: periodic airport data registered for declaring airports, and broken down by airline information. The values provided concern total passengers carried, total direct transit passengers, total transfer (indirect transit) passengers (optional variable), total freight and mail loaded or unloaded, total commercial aircraft movements and total aircraft movements.
Till 2022 datasets A1 and B1 were delivered on a quarterly basis (data were presented on a monthly basis), while dataset C1 was provided on an annual basis or - in some cases (voluntary) - on a quarterly basis (data were presented on a monthly basis or annual basis).
Since 2023 datasets A1 and B1 are delivered on a bimonthly basis (data are presented on a monthly basis), while dataset C1 is provided on a bimonthly basis or - in some cases - on an annual basis (data are presented on a monthly basis or annual basis).
Category 0 airports (i.e. handling less than 15 000 passenger units annually) do not submit the datasets.
13 February 2025
The main concepts used in this domain are the following:
Community airport - adefined area on land or water in a Member State subject to the provisions of the treaty, which is intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure and surface movement of aircraft and open for commercial air services.
Flight stage - the operation of an aircraft from take-off to its next landing. This is linked to the definition of passengers (or freight and mail) on board.
Passengers on board - all passengers on board of the aircraft upon landing at the reporting airport or at taking off from the reporting airport. All revenue and non-revenue passengers on board an aircraft during a flight stage. Includes direct transit passengers (counted at arrivals and departures).
Direct transit passengers - passengers who, after a short stop, continue their journey on the same aircraft on a flight having the same flight number as the flight on which they arrive.
Transfer (indirect transit) passengers - passengers arriving and departing on a different aircraft within 24 hours, or on the same aircraft bearing different flight numbers. They are counted twice: once upon arrival and once on departure.
Freight and mail on board - all freight and mail on board of the aircraft upon landing at the reporting airport or at taking off from the reporting airport. All freight and mail on board an aircraft during a flight stage. Includes direct transit freight and mail (counted at arrivals and departures). Includes express services and diplomatic bags. Excludes passenger baggage.
On flight origin and destination - traffic on a commercial air service identified by a unique flight number subdivided by airport pairs in accordance with point of embarkation and point of disembarkation on that flight. For passengers, freight or mail where the airport of embarkation is not known, the aircraft origin should be deemed to be the point of embarkation; similarly, if the airport of disembarkation is not known, the aircraft destination should be deemed to be the point of disembarkation. This is linked to the definition of passengers carried and freight and mail loaded or unloaded.
Passengers carried - all passengers on a specific flight (with one flight number) counted once only and not repeatedly on each individual stage of that flight. All revenue and non-revenue passengers whose journey begin or terminates at the reporting airport and transfer passengers joining or leaving the flight at the reporting airport. Excludes direct transit passengers.
Freight and mail loaded or unloaded - all freight and mail loaded onto or unloaded from an aircraft. Includes express services and diplomatic bags. Excludes passenger baggage. Excludes direct transit freight and mail.
Passenger unit - one passenger unit is equivalent to either one passenger or 100 kilograms of freight and mail.
The data are collected at individual airport level.
Community airports of three categories, as defined by the Regulation (EC) N°1358/2003, submit the datasets:
Category "1": Airports with between 15 000 and 150 000 passenger units per year transmit only aggregated airport data (dataset C1).
Category "2": Airports with more than 150 000 passenger units and less than 1 500 000 passenger units per year transmit flight stage data, on flight origin destination data as well as aggregated airport data (datasets A1, B1 and C1).
Category "3": Airports with at least 1 500 000 passenger units per year transmit flight stage data, on flight origin destination data as well as aggregated airport data (datasets A1, B1 and C).
Category "0" airports: Airports with less than 15 000 passenger units per year are considered as having only "occasional commercial traffic" without obligation to report – they do not submit the datasets.
For the purpose of defining the airport category in year N, the reference year taken into account for the calculation of the passenger units is:
— for category 0, 1 and 2 airports: year N-2,
— for category 3 airports: year N (except for the reporting of year 2003 tables where 2001 passenger units are taken into account and for the reporting of year 2004 tables where 2003 passenger units are taken into account).
Airports for which passenger units decreased between year N-2 and year N-1 may use year N-1 as the reference year for their classification.
Note: Due to the covid-19 pandemic impact on the airport services, the list of categories of airports has been frozen - based on 2019 reference year - for the data provisions 2022 onwards in order to assure a continuity and coherence in the data provision.
International airports located on the territory of Poland.
Reference period is a month (or - in case of few airports - a year) for C1 and a month for A1, B1.
Overall accuracy of the air transport statistics data can be assesed as good.
Some airports encounter problems with multi-stage flights registration. There are some discrepancies between data on freight presented by partner airports following from inappropriate information flow between airlines, handlers and airports, especially visible at the national level in case of multi-stage flights.
Passengers: passenger
Freigh and mail: tonne (to three decimal places)
Aircraft flights/movements: flight/movement
Passenger seats available: passenger seat
The data received from the airports are compiled, verified and finally delivered to Eurostat. Some mistakes in raw data, i.e. inappropriate coding, are corrected by CSO if possible.
Problems on data compilation, validation and delivery :
For the time being, not all databases of the Polish airports are fully compatible with the requirements of the Regulation. The most significant errors following from the incompatibility are the following:
multi-stage flights recorded inappropriately (previous/next airport is sometimes given instead of on flight/destination airport),
direct transit passengers recorded only once (at departures),
freight/mail not presented in cross-section "aircraft type" in individual cases.
Source of data: airports registers.
Dataset A1 – Data Suppliers (Passengers on board/Freight and mail on board): Airports
Aircraft Information in A1:
Polish Airports get information on the basis of electronic movement messages, from different sources as: ATC reports Airport Services Airports Fees Departments
Seats information information in A1:
Polish Airports get information from airlines, when possible reported on the basis of commercial data (mostly in case of scheduled flights), and based on technical parametres in case of other movements (e.g. non-scheduled flights).
Dataset B1 –Data Suppliers (Passengers carried/Freight and mail loaded/unloaded): Airports
Datasets A1 and B1 - Use of Air Waybill Data as information source of freight data: Data suppliers do not include freight transported by truck into data sent to CSO.
Dataset C1 – Bodies that supply the direct transit information to the CNA: This information is collected in cooperation with airlines by airports authority. Polish airports supply the data to CSO via IT tool.
Dataset C1 – Bodies that supply the commercial and total aircraft movement to the CNA:
This information is collected in cooperation with airlines and Air Traffic Control Agency by airports authority.
Polish airports supply the data to CSO via IT tool.
From 2021 onwards all the statistics required by the provisions of the Regulation 437/2003 are transmitted to Eurostat not later than 6 months after the reference month.
Till 2022 monthly data were provided on a quarterly basis. Since 2023 monthly data are provided on a bimonthly basis.
