Polish charter carrier Enter Air returned to the black in the nine months to September – ensuring capacity will be maintained for independent operators from Gatwick.
The airline has an aircraft based at at the airport with plans for a seventh year of operations to mainly Greek destinations for summer 2023.
Flights have also just started with a number of operators running winter programmes to Swedish and Finnish Lapland.
The carrier reported a net profit of about £800,000 for the first three quarters of the year against a deficit of almost £4 million in the same period in 2021 despite being “significantly affected” by foreign exchange losses.
Revenue in the peak summer three months was up by 87% and exceeded a record achieved in 2019.
The airline said: “The sharp increase in revenue was primarily related to the receding Covid-19 pandemic, and the fact that tourists were eager to return to vacationing abroad after the lifting of restrictions.”
A fleet of 23 Boeing 737-800s and two 737 Max was supplemented in the summer by two additional leased aircraft.
Enter Air management board member Grzegorz Polaniecki said: “The first half of the year was influenced by the gradual recovery from the pandemic crisis, and since February we have been influenced by the tense geopolitical and economic situation, which has and will continue to have major implications for the entire travel market.
“In addition, we’ve seen a lot of turbulence in the foreign exchange market.”
However, he added: “Our greatest asset is flexibility and high-quality service at an attractive price.
“While we are market leaders in the Polish market, geographic diversification is key for us, allowing us to optimally utilise our fleet throughout the year and hedge against the risk of negative effects of the deteriorating economic situation in Poland.
“Next year we want to fly more from western Europe. We are already experiencing significant revenue growth from abroad, and we intend to establish a stronger presence in Scandinavian and German-speaking markets, where we are gaining increasing recognition and where we are appreciated for our solid quality.”
Carl Denton, Sven Carlson Aviation Consulting and UK tour operators representative for the airline, said: “These strong results in the home Polish market allows Enter Air to maintain a presence in the UK and continue to provide access for charter aircraft capacity to independent tour operators.”