The giant “Central Transport Hub” airport between Warsaw and Lodz is scheduled for completion in 2027. CPK (Polish for Centralny Port Komunikacyjny) is the only airport currently planned in Europe, to be built from scratch.
New regional hub
The Polish government expects a steady increase in passenger numbers. In 2017, all Polish airports together handled around 40 million passengers, and the growth rate was over 10%. Thanks to this project, Poland intends to develop into a hub for long-haul flights in Central Eastern Europe.
According to the news agency Bloomberg, the first part of the project will cost approximately PLN 35 billion (equivalent to CHF 9 billion). Der Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Mikolaj Wild, has been quite positive about the financing options. According to Mr Wild, the Polish Development Fund (PFR), as well as infrastructure funds and banks, are very interested in this project.
First designs by renowned architects
Renowned British and Irish architects were invited to prepare their proposals for the airport. The first drafts were presented to the public at the end of July. The selection of a strategic partner is planned for the coming months, i.e. an international company with investment experience in the design, construction and management of hub airports. The master plan is to be commissioned at the beginning of next year. Among other things, the master plan will present the projected airport development for the next 10 years: air traffic forecasts, the exact scope of the planned infrastructure, construction phases and a detailed business model for the investment.
Great potential for growth
The investment in the new airport passed the Private Investor Test, which was carried out by an independent consulting firm. Among other things, the document defined the benchmark data of the investment and verified the economic arguments supporting the construction. The test results illustrated how profitable the construction of the CPK airport could be for a potential private investor: The assumed return is over 10%. This test shows that the construction of the airport is economically justified, and verifies the profitability from the point of view of a potential private investor. According to PwC's report published this April, the Polish aviation market has one of the greatest growth potentials in Europe. According to a May 2019 study by Baker McKenzie and Polityka Insight, the construction of Poland's central hub airport could generate 4 to 7% in GDP growth. The Ministry of Infrastructure estimates that the construction of the airport will create almost 150,000 jobs in total, including about 40,000 in the immediate vicinity of the motorway junction and about 110,000 in sectors involved in the construction and investment.
Major investments in railway infrastructure
The new airport is designed to be easily accessible by train from any part of the country. This means that numerous railway lines will be built or modernized. The program envisages a total of 10 lines connecting all Polish regions with the new airport. A total of 1600 km of new tracks will be built. An overview of the planned new or modernized lines can be found below the article.
New trains will also run on new lines. It is estimated that about 130 new trains will be needed to serve CPK Airport by 2029. A contract will soon be signed with Stadler Rail for the delivery of 12 new trains to take passengers to the airport.
Foreign expertise is required
According to Minister Wild, the Polish government also wants to invite experts from abroad to participate in this project. Polish companies have too little expertise and references in the construction of such complex objects, as well as their subsequent operation. This mega-project offers opportunities for Swiss companies operating in the field of airport equipment or railway infrastructure.
