There are a number of economic factors behind the construction of Poland’s new Solidarity Airport, not least the growth of air transport in Poland.

Warsaw Chopin Airport – until now the largest airport in the country – has become too small to meet current and future demands, and the potential for expansion is severely limited by its proximity to the Polish capital’s urban infrastructure.

According to the latest IATA forecasts, air travel in Poland will return to its pre-pandemic levels in 2024. In 2019, Warsaw Chopin Airport served nearly 19 million passengers – the airport’s maximum capacity is approximately 22 million passengers per year. Taking into account the current post-pandemic traffic recovery, the airport is expected to reach its absolute limits by 2025–2027. According to IATA forecasts, the new Solidarity Airport will serve approximately 30 million passengers in the first full year of operations, and 40 million annually by 2035.

“The forecasts are very clear – we are expecting not only a return to pre-pandemic travel performance but further dynamic market growth after 2024. With the construction of Solidarity Airport, we expect to attract approximately 850 million passengers by 2060. I am convinced that this is the most irrefutable argument for the construction of the CPK [Centralny Port Komunikacyjny]. I’m glad that such a respected institution as IATA recognises the value of our project and makes it clear that we won’t move forward without it”, said Marcin Horała, deputy minister for funds and regional policy, government plenipotentiary for the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny.

Image: Centralny Port Komunikacyjny