Warsaw Chopin Airport is nearing capacity, and with massive year-on-year growth in passenger numbers, Poland wants to build a new airport. Warsaw Solidarity Airport - also known as Central Communication Port or Centralny Port Komunikacyjny Airport (CPK) - wants to start operating flights by 2028 and will require an investment of around $9 billion to make it a reality.

This won't be just any airport - planners want to build something that would rival hubs like Heathrow or Dubai for the Central and Eastern Europe region. The plans would see a superhub capable of handling up to 40 million passengers a year by 2035, before expanding to three parallel runways and a capacity of 65 million per year by 2060. We take a look at the plans, and why Poland needs such a big superhub airport.

Why is a new airport needed?

Currently, passengers from Central and Eastern Europe have to transit through Western Europe to connect to longer flights. Hubs at Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt are most often used, making the majority of long-haul destinations at least a one-stop itinerary. According to a CAPA report, there are over 60 airports in Western Europe with direct flights to long-haul destinations, but only 16 in Central and Eastern Europe.

Prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, most of the long-haul connections were in Moscow, with Sheremetyevo Airport having the greatest number of short to long-haul connections in the region. For passengers who don’t want to leave Europe to fly, Warsaw boasts the greatest number of long-haul connections, mostly operated by LOT Polish.

The new airport hub will enable passengers from Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) to fly direct from Poland to almost anywhere in the world. Warsaw Airport has been steadily growing year-on-year - however, despite huge growth, the airport is still one of the smallest in Europe, handling almost 19 million a year in 2019 and 14.8 million in 2022. Its maximum capacity is just 20 million, and it is predicted to reach this capacity by 2025-2027.

Clearly, to sustain the growth being experienced in the region, a new and bigger airport is needed. Another reason for the big idea is to help LOT Polish Airlines to reach its goal of tripling passenger numbers and developing its long-haul services to Asia and the US. Their CEO is reported by Bloomberg as saying,

“Central Europe needs a proper aviation hub. We are going to be part of planning it and building it.”

Plans for Solidarity Airport

The plans for Solidarity Airport – Central Transport Hub (Port Solidarność – Centralny Port Komunikacyjny in Polish) involve not just airport construction, but also infrastructure improvements too. As the airport will be located around 40km from Warsaw, it will require reconfiguration and extension of Poland’s Rail network to provide connections. Once complete, the airport would replace Warsaw’s existing Chopin Airport, although authorities have claimed in the past year that Chopin Airport may not end up closing after all.

The new airport is reported to require an investment of around EUR 8 billion ($8.6 billion) to build. Including the infrastructure improvements - which includes massive rail network investments - the wider cost of the project could exceed $30 billion. Construction on the project was initially slated to begin in 2021, but this has been set back to the end of 2023. When complete, the airport will be able to handle as many as 40 million passengers a year.

Even after flights begin in 2028, Poland hopes to add more phases to the development to increase capacity. Over the years, a third runway and terminal extensions will take the airport to a maximum capacity of 65 million passengers a year by 2060. In all, the project could create up to 150,000 new jobs, which also includes major railway works and even the development of an 'Airport City'.

The decision to endorse the project was made in 2017, with government ratification in May 2018. However, criticism of the project has been rife. Some fear that the closure of Chopin Airport will damage Warsaw’s economy, and the local residents who will face compulsory purchase orders for their homes and land are, predictably, not onboard either.

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Which airlines will use Solidarity Airport?

Homegrown airline and flag carrier, LOT Polish, will undoubtedly be one of the major carriers to operate from Warsaw’s new airport. Presently Europe’s 18th largest airline by passenger numbers, LOT carried over nine million in 2022 and will be hoping to match its pre-pandemic high of 11.8 million recorded in 2019.

However, they’re not the only airline that will be keen to have a base in Solidarity. Both Wizz Air and Ryanair transport more passengers to and from Poland than LOT so have an obvious interest in plans for a new airport. Ryanair carried around 14 million passengers in Poland in 2022, and its chief Michael O’Leary is less than impressed with the plans. Speaking to Polish news outlet Rzeczpospolita, O'Leary said in 2022,

"This airport is unnecessary. It was planned in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Only very stupid politicians could decide to do something like that. Warsaw already has two airports. It would be enough to use them well."

Construction to begin end of 2023

The airport is slowly receiving all the necessary approvals before construction work begins, most likely by the end of 2023. In June, the Polish Infrastructure Ministry approved the general airport plan, with current project timelines aiming to get the superhub up and running as early as 2028.

Solidarity unveiled details of its Airport Master Plan in August - Phase I will consist of two parallel runways and a single integrated terminal capable of handling up to 40 million passengers annually by 2035. The terminal would also feature its own train station connected to the wider Polish rail network, allowing travelers to access any major Polish city in under 2.5 hours.

Phase II will develop a third runway to the south, as well as another terminal over 50% larger than the first terminal. Once this is complete, the superhub could see around 65 million passengers passing through each year. The airport envisions around 40% of traffic will be transfers during the initial stages, going up to 45-50% in the long-term.

What do you think? Is Poland right to look to a new megahub-style airport built from scratch, or should they be looking to expand existing airports such as Warsaw Chopin instead?

Sources: CAPA, Bloomberg, Rzeczpospolita