Ryanair officially launched a twice-weekly service between Brussels-Charleroi Airport and Katowice on 29 October 2025 as part of its expanded Winter 2025/26 schedule. The new link gives Belgium direct access to Poland’s booming Silesian industrial region, home to major automotive, IT and clean-tech clusters, while offering Polish businesses faster connections to EU institutions and headquarters in Brussels.
According to Ryanair Group executive Michał Kaczmarzyk, the carrier’s enlarged Katowice base—with three B737-800s and a USD 300 million investment—will support more than 1,000 local jobs. For Belgian exporters and multinationals, the added capacity should translate into lower freight rates and greater seat availability during the high-demand Christmas season.
Travel-management companies say the schedule (currently Mondays and Fridays) is ideal for three- or four-day business trips and weekend city-breaks. Travellers avoid double connections via Warsaw or Frankfurt, cutting total door-to-door time by up to three hours. Round-trip launch fares start at €29.
The route also dovetails with Brussels-South Charleroi’s strategy to position itself as Belgium’s low-cost hub for Central- and Eastern-European diaspora traffic. Airport officials expect the service to add roughly 35,000 annual passengers and support ancillary revenues from parking, retail and rental cars.
For mobility managers, the practical takeaway is to update preferred-carrier lists and consider Charleroi as an alternative to Zaventem when routing staff to southern Poland’s manufacturing belt. Employers should also remind travellers that Katowice Airport lies 30 km from the city, requiring a 40-minute shuttle or taxi ride.
According to Ryanair Group executive Michał Kaczmarzyk, the carrier’s enlarged Katowice base—with three B737-800s and a USD 300 million investment—will support more than 1,000 local jobs. For Belgian exporters and multinationals, the added capacity should translate into lower freight rates and greater seat availability during the high-demand Christmas season.
Travel-management companies say the schedule (currently Mondays and Fridays) is ideal for three- or four-day business trips and weekend city-breaks. Travellers avoid double connections via Warsaw or Frankfurt, cutting total door-to-door time by up to three hours. Round-trip launch fares start at €29.
The route also dovetails with Brussels-South Charleroi’s strategy to position itself as Belgium’s low-cost hub for Central- and Eastern-European diaspora traffic. Airport officials expect the service to add roughly 35,000 annual passengers and support ancillary revenues from parking, retail and rental cars.
For mobility managers, the practical takeaway is to update preferred-carrier lists and consider Charleroi as an alternative to Zaventem when routing staff to southern Poland’s manufacturing belt. Employers should also remind travellers that Katowice Airport lies 30 km from the city, requiring a 40-minute shuttle or taxi ride.
