Development of air transport

There are a number of economic factors behind the construction of the new airport. First of all, Chopin Airport – until now the largest airport in Poland – has become too small to meet current and future demands, moreover the possibility of its further expansion is severely limited by its proximity to Warsaw’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, while the maximum capacity is only approx. 22 million passengers per year. Taking into account the current post-pandemic traffic recovery, Warsaw Chopin 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. 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”, says Marcin Horała, deputy minister for funds and regional policy, government plenipotentiary for the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny.