NAVBLUE, a company of the Airbus Group, has opened its office in Olivia Centre. The company’s presence in the region strengthens the position of Pomerania in the aviation sector, which is gradually becoming the Polish center for this sector. It is also another step in the development of the Pomeranian Aviation Hub – a cluster in which over 1700 people currently work.

NAVBLUE, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus, manages a key European aerospace operations solutions center in Gdansk. The office specializes primarily in the production of aeronautical data and software, develops and delivers solutions for aviation operations. Thanks to them, it is possible to increase the operational efficiency of airlines and develop aviation in a more sustainable dimension.

“With around 118 specialists, NAVBLUE is actively recruiting software engineers, data analysts and technical support experts,” says Artur Siebert, Ho Aero Data & Managing Director at NabBlue. – The choice of Gdansk was of strategic importance to us, mainly due to the region’s reputation as a recognized European software and aviation hub. It is also a region that currently provides access to talented employees and the excellent infrastructure and accessibility of the Olivia Centre. The company also emphasizes its goal of striving to become a preferred employer in the region.

The development of NAVBLUE directly strengthens Airbus’ broader industrial commitment in the country, which already employs highly qualified staff at three locations (Warsaw, Łódź and Gdansk). As a result, the Polish office is an important element of Airbus’ strategy to pioneer in building a safer and more sustainable future for the aerospace sector in Central Europe. The city of Gdansk was chosen because of its recognized position as an aviation and software hub in Europe.

As Maciej Kotarski, director at Olivia Centre, emphasizes, the slogan of the Navblue brand perfectly reflects their plans: Reach for the Skies – the slogan NAVBLUE can be understood literally, because it is a company dedicated to air operations carried out for airlines and aircraft operators. Olivia will be staffed by a team that is developing very quickly and has already crossed the barrier of 100 people. Such a resident confirms that Gdańsk and Oliwa are becoming a recognized European center of aviation, software and human resources for the aviation industry.

The company has joined other entities related to air transport that have their offices in Olivia. Previously, AirBP, a company specializing in JET-A1 fuel trading and handling aircraft refueling processes in Gdańsk, Warsaw, Katowice, Lublin and Szymany near Olsztyn, located its offices here. The offices in Gdańsk are the headquarters of the company’s management board, and they also employ specialists in administration, logistics and trade.

One of the three offices of Boeing Poland also operates in Oliwa. The Gdańsk branch focuses on the development of software and management systems for global databases, supports Boeing’s full portfolio of digital services for pilots and airlines. About every fifth flight in the world uses navigation maps from Gdansk. In addition, the office is home to the Software and Avionics Engineering Center. Nearby, also in Oliwa, there is also another tycoon from the aviation industry – Lufthansa Systems Poland. The company specializes in the development of software and other IT solutions for the aviation and logistics industry. Lufthansa Systems Poland provides outsourcing and BPO services: it creates and implements IT solutions for companies in the aviation industry.

The development of companies from the aviation segment in Oliwa is related to the development of the Pomeranian Aviation Hub, as well as the development of the airport in Gdańsk Rębiechowo. Since 2019, the Aviation Hub project has been developed in the Pomeranian Voivodeship – a cluster of companies from the aviation industry, the task of which is to increase the number of services and products related to the aviation industry, delivered and developed in Pomerania and Poland, to develop cooperation between aviation market participants and academic staff in order to increase the level of innovation and integration of the created aviation solutions, to increase the level of their competence and specialization, education and sharing of aviation industry knowledge with a wider audience, offering modern technologies directly to customers of the aviation market, promotion of high-class aviation products and services created and developed in Pomerania. The project partners are Invest Pomerania, the Gdańsk Economic Development Agency, Boeing Gdańsk, Lech Walesa Airport and Smart4Aviation.

One of the main factors in the development of the cluster is the growing position of Lech Walesa Airport in the domestic and European air transport market. The average year-on-year increase in passenger numbers remains at 12% and already in 2023 exceeded the record results that the airport achieved before the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the airport ended with a total of 6,714,149 passengers, which allowed it to maintain the third position, after Warsaw Chopin Airport and Krakow’s Balice. The dynamic growth in the number of passengers and services also allows Gdańsk Airport to be one of the most dynamically developing airports in Europe.

Fig. Dawid Linkowski