Poland presses ahead with new central hub airport Port Polska

Poland's plan for a new central airport, now called Port Polska, has survived decades of political shifts and is now taking concrete shape, according to the project. It is intended to open at the end of 2032, with an initial capacity of 44 million passengers annually and round-the-clock operations.

The idea dates back to the 1970s, when the communist-era government first considered building a central airport for the country. The project was shelved for decades until it was revived in 2017 under the nationalist Law and Justice government, which formally approved development under the name Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, or CPK. At the time, some observers in Western Europe reportedly viewed it as a prestige project unlikely to be realised.

After Donald Tusk became prime minister in 2023, his liberal government reviewed the plan. After some adjustments, it decided to continue with it. Lot Polish Airlines is expected to be the airport's principal user.

According to project officials, Port Polska is meant to be more than an airport. It is described as an attempt to reorganise Poland's transport and economic structure more broadly, combining an air and rail hub with a new economic region at the centre of the country.

Filip Czernicki, who until recently led the company behind the project, said organisers sought to remove it from day-to-day politics. Infrastructure of this scale, he argued, requires support across multiple governments and broad public consensus, which he said has now been achieved.