The Central Communication Port (CPK), also known as Solidarity Transport Hub, could serve up to 45 million passengers a year. Polish and regional passengers could have to change flights abroad much less often and would have access to better connections, including additional flights from LOT Polish Airlines. The airport is meant to eventually replace the Warsaw Chopin Airport, which is currently at full capacity.
The planned transportation hub is meant to occupy an area of 3,000 hectares near Baranów, which is 37 kilometers west of Warsaw.
Not only will the project feature a major airport, which is expected to be finished by 2027, but also includes railway investments meant to better connect the entire country by providing meant to offer speedy connections to Warsaw and other major cities. In total, 1,600 kilometers of new routes are meant to be constructed, starting with a rail line between Warsaw and Łódź.
In order to support the new hub, a business city complete with conference and trade centers is under development near the CPK along with better infrastructure for roads and bridges.
The project’s opponents claim that nobody will want to travel all the way outside Warsaw to use the airport despite several Chopin passengers already having to do so. These critics overlook the high-speed rail links to the CPK, the number of flight connections that will be featured at the airport, and its ambition to be a major transport and communication hub in the heart of Europe.
If the airport goes unbuilt, then other players in the region will step in to seize the traffic. In short, it will represent a major economic loss to Poland and a loss of influence. In the long run, the CPK has the potential to serve almost 100 million passengers. While the size and scope of those ambitions are clearly attainable if the hub receives adequate investment, critics are quick to claim it is not possible and will be an economically unprofitable venture.
Some of the world’s leading airports required enormous investment but the pay off has been substantial. They were typically developed in stages and constantly reevaluated based on the needs of travelers. In other words, if there is a demand for 100 million passengers, only then will planners take additional development steps.
The current data concerning air traffic shows an expected steady increase over the next decade in demand for flights to and from Poland. In 2018, Polish airports checked-out over 46 million passengers, a 15 percent increase compared to 2017 and five times the amount of passengers in 2005.
This year, over 50 million passengers are expected, 80 million in 2028 and 90 million in 2035.
Many critics do not realize how dire Chopin Airport’s situation is over the coming years. It has no ways of being developed further and is located in a densely populated area of Warsaw which forbids flights between 11:30 pm and 5:30 am.
Air travel to Poland is on a trajectory that may very well include 100 million passengers and much more over the coming decades. Without the right infrastructure, Poland will be beaten by other players eager for the visitors and business a world-class airport offers.
