Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, has said it carried 2.37 million passengers to and from Poland from January to September last year, 9.25 percent more than in the same period in 2008.

Meanwhile, the overall number of passengers using Polish airports fell by more than 1.5 million from January to September, according to the Irish airline.

Ryanair repeated its call for the Polish government to lower airport costs and air traffic control charges during the economic crisis.

"Poland has become a high-cost destination because of increased airport and air traffic control charges," the Irish carrier said in a statement to the media.

"Spain and Greece recognize that by reducing charges and allowing airlines to reduce fares they can stimulate tourism-it is now up to the Polish government to ensure that Polish tourism responds to the crisis it faces by lowering airport costs and air traffic control charges during this economic downturn."

Ryanair added that on average 0.52 people travel by air per head of population in Poland, while other Eastern European countries have a higher ratio, and in Western Europe the figure is around 3.5.

Ryanair said that in 2008 the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency increased charges by 960 percent from zl.93 to zl.985.34 at six regional airports-Bydgoszcz, £ód¼, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin and Wroc³aw-and by 388 percent at three other regional airports-Gdańsk, Katowice and Cracow.
P.K.