The construction of the new central airport, scheduled to start in 2026, will not have a negative impact on regional airports – assures Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Maciej Lasek, citing IATA forecasts. As he emphasizes, they are responsible for two different types of air traffic, so it’s more about mutual complementation rather than competition.
“Air transportation is extremely important for our economy. It not only consists of passenger transportation, but also cargo transportation. 52 million passengers served last year, even more this year. Excellent results of leading airports like Chopin, Krakow or Gdansk show that good infrastructure, planned many years in advance, is simply our window to the world” – says Maciej Lasek, State Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, the government’s representative for the Central Communication Port, to Newseria news agency.
Data from GUS shows that last year, over 464 thousand take-off and landing operations were conducted at all airports in Poland – both in passenger and cargo transport. A year earlier it was less than 400 thousand. Of this number, over 162 thousand are attributed to the largest airport in Poland, Chopin Airport in Warsaw’s Okęcie. The rest is generated by smaller airports, including regional ones.
The ULC indicates that all airports served 52.2 million passengers in domestic and international traffic last year, both regular and charter. This is 27.4% more than the previous year. The dynamics for the first half of this year are about 14.4% (60% compared to 2022). The country’s largest airport, Chopin, served nearly 18.5 million passengers throughout 2023. This means that almost 34 million were attributed to regional airports. All witnessed significant increases in the number of passengers served last year – the highest in Lodz (almost 100%), the lowest in Modlin (8.8%).
“Hard data prepared by IATA show that a new central airport – serving as a hub airport – does not negatively affect regional airports, as these are two different types of traffic. From regional airports, we mainly carry out charter operations, point-to-point operations. Low-cost airlines operate there. At small regional airports, we can provide what is most important for these low-cost airlines, namely short rotation time and low operating costs. However, airports such as the Chopin Airport today, and the future national airport in Baranów, are designed for transit, hub traffic, traditional airline traffic where passengers expect a slightly different level of service”, explains Maciej Lasek.
This means that the construction of the future central airport will not result in smaller airports losing their raison d’être. In the Ministry’s opinion, predicting their downfall is not justified in any case. Quite the contrary, the network of local airports along with the central hub will complement each other. Cooperation between the ports is even expected.
“It’s not that after the construction of the airport in Baranów, regional airports will suddenly become deserted, because passengers who today want to use low-cost airlines, cheaper offers on tourist directions or typical point-to-point directions, will not travel several hundred kilometers to Warsaw to change at the central airport to the same destination. This would be a waste of time for them and at the same time it will be a more expensive option. The hub airport and regional airports, as we see it, will support and complement each other, they will definitely not compete with each other”, assures the government’s representative for CPK.
According to GUS data, in 2023 regular air transport was conducted on a total of 184 routes, of which 22 were domestic and 162 international. Direct flights were available from Poland to 43 countries around the world.
The Voluntary Acquisitions Program will run until the end of November, under which CPK acquires land for the construction of the future central airport. So far, the company has purchased over 1420 hectares under the VAP, and advanced negotiations with owners concern a further approx. 340 hectares. The negotiations need to be concluded before the Voivod of Mazowieckie region issues the location decision in the first instance. The company expects this to happen by the end of this year. After receiving the decision, it will be possible to submit a request for the construction of the airport. It is said to begin in 2026.
The CPK company recently announced the completion of work on the construction project of the airport itself. Design work is ongoing for runways, taxiways, parking aprons and airport access roads along with technical buildings, as well as a railway tunnel under the airport. Project documentation is also being developed for so-called supporting objects, including the air traffic control tower.
Currently, on the construction site under preparation, on the lands purchased under the VAP, the investor continues demolition of buildings, tree felling and organizing removals. According to the updated schedule, the new airport is set to open by the end of 2032, along with the planned segment of the High-Speed Railway between Warsaw and Lodz.
