Polish airports are entering a phase of intensive investment aimed at increasing capacity and preparing infrastructure for continued dynamic growth in air traffic. According to the President of Polish Airports (PPL), more than PLN 50 billion will be allocated to these projects in the coming years. The largest investments include the modernization of Warsaw Chopin Airport, the expansion of Kraków Airport, and preparations for launching a new central airport as part of the Port Poland project.
“There are many challenges facing airports and the entire aviation sector, but we are starting with infrastructure. The appetite for flying continues to grow, demand is increasing, and this means expanding infrastructure to meet passenger needs efficiently,” said Łukasz Chaberski, President of Polish Airports, in an interview with Newseria. “Practically all airports in Poland are either carrying out or preparing investment processes. Over PLN 50 billion will be invested in this area in the coming years. At Warsaw Chopin Airport alone, PLN 940 million will be spent on modernization, enabling us to handle more than 30 million passengers by 2029. Other airports, including Kraków, also have major investment plans, with Kraków’s reaching PLN 4.2 billion.”
The past year highlighted the scale of the domestic market’s potential. In 2025, Polish airports handled over 66.2 million passengers in total, marking a 14.4% year-on-year increase—more than three times faster than the European average of 4.4% (according to ACI Europe data). Over 63% of total traffic was generated by regional airports, which served 41.9 million passengers. Leading airports included Kraków, Katowice, Gdańsk, Wrocław, and Poznań, all recording double-digit growth.
Airports managed by PPL—Warsaw Chopin, Warsaw-Radom, and Zielona Góra–Babimost—handled a combined 24.2 million passengers. Warsaw Chopin Airport alone achieved a record result of over 24 million passengers, representing an increase of more than 13% year-on-year. Cargo performance also reached a historic high, with 137,000 tonnes handled, up 17% compared to the previous year.
The modernization of Warsaw’s main airport is primarily intended to increase capacity and improve passenger comfort. This comes in response to rapid traffic growth, which has already significantly exceeded the assumptions used when designing the terminal.
“The ongoing modernization aims to enable the airport to handle over 30 million passengers annually,” emphasized Chaberski. “Without this upgrade, we would permanently lose more than 32 million passengers who simply could not be processed here. According to our data and ACI methodology, this would translate into over PLN 32 billion in lost catalytic impact on the economy. This project also has strong strategic justification, as without these passengers, the new Port Poland project—scheduled to open in 2032—would start with a much smaller passenger base and be less profitable.”
Passengers will notice the changes most quickly in the terminal and during security checks. Polish Airports has announced that some improvements will already be visible this year.
“Passengers will clearly see two main changes. First, the extension of the southern pier by 300 meters, which will provide new contact stands—jet bridges—and allow more efficient passenger handling,” explained the PPL President. “The expansion of terminal space is needed not only for comfort but also for safety. The infrastructure we currently use was designed for around 15 million passengers, while last year we handled over 24 million. Second, we are gradually replacing security screening equipment with the latest C3-class systems. These will allow passengers to keep electronics in their hand luggage and carry larger volumes of liquids. Most importantly, however, throughput will nearly double, significantly improving passenger processing.”
The upgrades will also include less visible but operationally critical areas, such as expanding aircraft parking stands for larger planes and upgrading baggage handling systems.
“What passengers see at baggage claim is only a small part of a highly complex system that must manage thousands of bags per hour,” Chaberski noted. “As a hub airport, ensuring baggage is delivered on time and to the correct destination is essential to avoid delays and maintain smooth flight operations.”
These investments are designed to respond to long-term trends that position Poland among the fastest-growing aviation markets in Europe. Forecasts prepared for PPL indicate that Polish airports could handle a total of 73.3 million passengers in 2026 and around 95 million by 2033, when Port Poland becomes operational. The symbolic threshold of 100 million passengers is expected to be exceeded by 2035.
Long-term projections extending to 2060 suggest that passenger numbers could reach as high as 172 million. The cargo segment is also expected to grow rapidly, potentially reaching 1 million tonnes of throughput by around 2041 and increasing further to 1.68 million tonnes by 2060.
