Budget airlines have fueled major economic boom in airport towns

Companies have moved their locations to cities where cheap flights are available and local governments have prepared land for investments. Kraków is a prime example of a city that has experienced a real tourist boom thanks to the low cost carriers, which appeared in the city a year ago. Kraków Balice airport is full of passengers, the number of tourist visiting the city increased by 30% last year and they spent zł.3.3 billion in the region. Authorities in Wrocław claim that it was the availability of cheap flights that was one of the reasons for Hewlett-Packard building its accounting center in the city - and Rzeszów, where Ryanair plans to launch its flights, is preparing land around its airport for the construction of a Science and Technology Park. (Gazeta Wyborcza, pp. 1, 25) E.B.