Deputy Infrastructure Minister Maciej Lasek said the newly appointed management board of Polskie Porty Lotnicze (PPL), the state-owned company that operates the airport, is preparing a tender for the design and execution of the upgrade.
Lasek, who also serves as the government’s commissioner for the Central Transport Hub (CPK) project—aiming to build a new airport in Baranów, west of Warsaw—told state news agency PAP that the planned improvements would include "new gates in the non-Schengen area" and the construction of "a new southern pier to expand the Schengen zone’s capacity."
These upgrades are intended to be low-cost, aimed at handling increasing passenger numbers until the new hub airport becomes operational, he said.
"We cannot invest large sums that may never pay off, but at the same time, we cannot afford to lose traffic," he added.
In late March, PPL’s supervisory board appointed Łukasz Chaberski as the company’s new CEO. The management board now also includes Marcin Danił, responsible for financial and commercial matters, and Adam Sanocki, overseeing strategy and marketing, the PAP news agency reported.
Lasek told the PAP news agency that passenger traffic at Chopin Airport was growing.
"We saw a 12-percent increase in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year." he said. "Forecasts suggest this trend will continue into the summer. We must be ready – if passengers turn to other airports, we might not get them back."
According to plans, construction will begin next year, with completion set for 2029. The airport’s capacity is expected to increase to 30 million passengers per year.
"The schedule is ambitious, but currently on track,” Lasek said.
Late last year, PPL released an initial timeline and budget for the upgrade, estimating the total cost at PLN 1.6 billion (around EUR 370 million), including a 40-percent financial reserve.
The project will expand the number of stands for narrow-body aircraft, such as Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, from 62 to 83, and wide-body stands—for Boeing 787 Dreamliners—from 15 to 24.
The terminal's total area is expected to increase by 15 percent.
Since September 2023, PPL has been part of the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) company, the state-controlled entity managing the development of the new airport and transport hub in Baranów.
Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland’s largest and one of Central and Eastern Europe’s busiest airports, handled a record 21.3 million passengers in 2024.
It serves as the main hub for LOT Polish Airlines and is also used by carriers such as Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM, Emirates and Wizz Air.
Warsaw's Chopin Airport, one of Central and Eastern Europe’s busiest airports, handled a record 21.3 million passengers in 2024. In early December, a woman travelling on a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Vilnius was celebrated as the 20-millionth passenger served by the airport in 2024. Photo: PAP/Albert Zawada
Lasek also revealed that CPK has so far acquired just over half the land needed for the new airport in Baranów, which is expected to accommodate much of Poland's air traffic.
He expressed hope that new regulations to accelerate the project will come into effect by the end of June.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP