Poland's new central airport due in 2027, gov't says

The government adopted a resolution outlining its plans for the airport after it earlier said Poland needs a new airport as soaring passenger numbers are expected to see Warsaw's Chopin international airport reach maximum capacity within a few years.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the government said Poland's location was ideal for an international airport, which will rival the world's best.

“Our country is located at the intersection of routes between major metropolises such as Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, Vienna and Tokyo, Shangai and Paris, or New York and Tehran. The Central Airport, thanks to its location, will be able to offer convenient connections to the Far East or North America,” according to the statement.

According to Mikołaj Wild, a government official in charge of matters concerning the project, the airport is expected to be built on some 3,000 hectares in Baranów, about 40 kilometres from Warsaw.

It is expected to initially service some 45 million passengers annually with possible expansion to accommodate 100 million, the government statement said.

Together with road and rail infrastructure, the project's cost has been estimated at PLN 30-35 billion (EUR 7-8 billion).

Under the resolution, legal and infrastructural changes to Baranów would allow for business parks, an exhibition centre, conference centres and office complexes to be set up.

In its statement, the government said that Polish airports would handle 94 million passengers in 2035.

Polish airports last year serviced nearly 34 million passengers, a 12 percent year-on-year increase, according to the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

Warsaw’s Chopin airport, currently the biggest in the country, was used by 12.8 million passengers in 2016, but projections suggest that it will run out of spare capacity in 2020 while not being able to expand any further due to its location in the capital. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP