Balice airport changes image

Balice Airport is changing its image and name to establish a strong position in the international flight market. There are three major points in airport management’s plans: new connections, new marketing policy and a new logo.

The new symbol consists of an image of a flowing dandelion in a blue and white setting that in the future will be official colors of the airport. The new name is Krakow Airport, written in a classic-style font, and there are three sub-versions. The basic one contains only a name and a dandelion, the broadened contains the name of the airport’s patron, John Paul II, in Polish, and the international version has all this in English.

“A dandelion is an element of nature, known to most people in the world. It’s a warm and intimate symbol, and a good metaphor for flight,” says Krzysztof Tkaczyk, creative director of the Schulz agency, which worked on this project for over a year. “Our proposition was based on marketing trend research and surveys of both Polish and foreign people. What’s interesting, the non-Polish name ‘airport’ was positively received in both those groups,” he said.

The new marketing policy would consist of building up a strong brand that would make Krakow as recognizable as other airport brands. Implementing the new brand will first be done among Poles, and then further abroad. The slogan recommending the place – “The World Starts Here” – shows the potential of the airport.

New flight connections are planned to replace 19 that have been officially designated for canceling as SkyEurope moves from Krakow Airport to Prague and Vienna. Other companies, such as Easy Jet, Ryanair and Centralwings, already are planning to fill in for SkyEurope. However, none of those flight operators has decided to open a regular base, as SkyEurope did.

The good news is that the operators are strengthening Krakow as a destination site on their schedules.