What is the future of Chopin Airport after the CPK is completed? PPL says “no” to developers
According to the president of PPL, the airport has been bringing benefits to Poland for over 90 years – from economic to air connectivity – and it should continue to do so in the future. “The terminal could be transformed into an exhibition and conference center, which is really missing in Warsaw and the surrounding area” – argues Łukasz Chaberski, president of PPL in Onet Rano Finansowo.
As the head of Polish Airports argues, the European capital needs large conference facilities suitable for international events. Meanwhile, airport infrastructure provides a ready-made solution. “First of all, it is a place very well connected to the center of Warsaw. There is a railway, there are hotels, there are parking lots. Everything will be ready.” – says the president of PPL.
In addition to its congress function, Chaberski sees the area of the current Chopin Airport as playing a role in the development of modern technologies. “We would like to see new technologies developed there, technologies of the future, probably related to AI” – says the president of Polish Airports. One of the ideas is to create a testing ground for drone technologies.
A developer is an undesirable option
President Chaberski does not hide that the development option is “the simplest, but the least sexy and desirable.” “This is too good a place, in my opinion, to simply build more apartments there” – he emphasizes. According to him, talks with the Warsaw authorities show that there is no longer a large demand for apartments in the capital, and districts such as Białołęka and Targówek have developed sufficiently.
Consensus with the city and central authorities
Chaberski emphasizes that the final decision on the future of Okęcie should be made by consensus not only with the city, but also with the central authorities. “Fortunately, we still have a few years to decide on that.” – reassures the president of PPL.
According to the forecast of the Civil Aviation Office, in 2040, 45 million passengers are expected to use air transport in the Warsaw agglomeration, while the maximum capacity of Chopin after the expansion is approximately 30 million.
The CPK is to start operating at the end of 2032, and the opening of the airport will be combined with the launch of the first line of the High-Speed Railway on the Warsaw-Łódź route. The travel time from the center of Warsaw to the new airport will be approximately 15 minutes.
“We would like this place to continue to be teeming with life, and secondly, that it would serve the development of Poland.” – said the head of PPL. A place so close to the center of Warsaw, so well connected, “We should use it for business purposes, but also for pro-development purposes for us, for the country,” he concluded.
The entire conversation is available here:
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