The plan envisions tapping the potential of fifteen Polish aerodromes, with a particular focus on boosting capacity in Mazovian airports, as stated by Maciej Lasek, the government’s plenipotentiary for the Central Communications Port (CPK). The remarks drew responses from Marcin Horała, a former government plenipotentiary for the CPK, and aviation expert Maciej Wilk.
Lasek on maximizing the use of 15 domestic airports
Maciej Lasek, Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy and the government representative for the CPK, told PAP that before deciding the future path of the Central Communications Port, the capacity and potential of the 15 domestic airports should be fully explored.
In the medium-term plan, the goal is to unlock what is already constructed and to consider how, with a modest financial outlay, the capacity of Poland’s airports can be raised, he said.
He noted that until a central airport is feasible, there should be no bottleneck in air transport, especially in Mazovia.
According to Lasek, eight years have been lost in the development and modernization of current airports, which have sometimes been halted to justify the CPK. He suggests that a realistic timeline places the CPK’s completion in roughly the next decade. This stance, he argues, has caused regional airports to stagnate for around twenty years, which is harmful. He added that a change in approach is needed.
Want to increase Modlin’s potential?
Lasek asserted that, without decisions by prior administrations, Chopin Airport would be in a different position today. He believes its capacity could be raised without increasing noise burdens on residents of nearby districts.
He also highlighted that besides Chopin, Mazovia hosts airports in Modlin and Radom. The Modlin airport project suffered from a lack of unity among managers, and it requires investments in airport infrastructure, including platforms and a terminal. Radom, by contrast, already benefits from solid infrastructure and a terminal, and attention should turn to attracting carriers to operate from that port, he emphasized.
Expanding Modlin’s capacity, he suggested, would open doors for traffic from low-cost carriers, while Radom could draw charter operators.
Lasek underscored that regional airports should continue to grow and that Poland already has 15 airports well integrated into the local landscape. People want to fly from nearby airports, and local governments are eager to invest in them, he noted.
The advantage of regional airports, he added, lies in their accessibility. People prefer to fly from an airport close to home rather than undertaking long drives or rail journeys to reach a major hub, only to connect elsewhere.
He also pointed out that the CPK’s planned founding date of 2028 is not a realistic target, and that there is a need to adjust timelines to reflect practical realities.
The military aspect: is it relevant?
Lasek also touched on the military arguments often used to justify the CPK. Each civilian airport has the potential to support military transports. For example, the airports in Rzeszów or Zielona Góra could be used intensively by the army, with corresponding investments, he noted. The same situation could apply to Wrocław Airport as a military hub.
He observed that during the pandemic the largest transport aircraft landed at civil airports, illustrating that these facilities can support military needs when required. Diversifying airport locations reduces risk compared to concentrating activity at a single large transfer point and rail junction, which could be a vulnerability, he argued. He added that in addition to civil uses, military needs would be served by the network of airports across the country.
He emphasized that anti-attack resilience is higher when airport assets are dispersed. Concentrating defense assets in one place does not strengthen defenses and could create a single point of failure, he warned. He also noted that the military would utilize any additional capacity built for civilian use.
An aviation expert counters Lasek’s claims
Aviation expert Maciej Wilk responded to Lasek’s statements on social media, saying at the outset that he needed to correct the record and stressing the importance of the CPK’s location.
- Only that the central airport has an optimal location between Warsaw and Łódź has been consistently recommended since 2006. The quote cited by Lasek reflected a return to previously resolved basics rather than new issues.
Wilk argued that the assertion that the CPK would require another ten years to establish was unfounded. He reminded readers that an investment audit had not yet begun, yet the plenipotentiary had repeatedly voiced this view in public forums. Wilk cautioned that the role of the plenipotentiary is to streamline processes and warned that projecting delays could undermine credibility.
He described the idea of expanding Chopin as “completely astonishing,” explaining that increasing capacity means more flights and thus more noise, and that Chopin already faces environmental limits of about 600 flights per day since 2019. He then proposed a playful distribution model for Modlin and Radom, suggesting airlines with names from A to M could fly from Modlin and those from N to Z from Radom, noting that it would likely face the same feasibility challenges as the plenipotentiary’s proposals. He stated that a non-discriminatory traffic distribution rule would be hard to enforce without inviting challenges from carriers.
Wilk also pushed back on the notion that the only way to reach the CPK from the regions is by rail or road. He reminded that it remains feasible to start from a regional airport and connect to the CPK via domestic air routes, similar to current hub connections through WAW. On the issue of the CPK’s 2028 founding date, Wilk described the claim as an unfounded conclusion from an audit that had not yet begun.
Military considerations
In turn, Marcin Horała, the CPK plenipotentiary in the United Right government, contributed a military perspective to the discussion. Any airport can handle military transports, with the caveat that the largest capacity is at the CPK. The aim is to shorten the time needed for deploying allied units and supplies to the theater of operations, illustrating how the CPK would influence strategic logistics.
Horała argued that the CPK adds a multiplier effect when coordinating the movement of materials and forces from allied bases in the United States or Great Britain to locations within Poland. He explained that this can affect the pace and reach of operations and that the CPK’s role would be to improve the efficiency and speed of delivery during the initial phases of a conflict.
He stressed that while the CPK would not be the sole factor in a kinetic war, it would significantly enhance the ability to mobilize and project timely support. The goal is to raise strategic ambiguity in the face of potential aggression, which could deter or deter threats by complicating an adversary’s calculations.
Horała also highlighted that a multi-layer air defense and Western-style OPR defenses can create an anti-access bubble that is difficult for adversaries to penetrate. Yet such systems are expensive and cannot cover the entire country. The Warsaw region would be prioritized for protection, but the broader network, including the CPK, would receive robust protection as resources allow.
He noted that building the CPK does not imply closing other airports; even if the CPK exists, other airports would still operate. He warned against the idea that a failure of the CPK would trigger a catastrophe, calling such claims unfounded. He added that safeguarding the massive infrastructure would be nearly indestructible with conventional means alone, though all assets would need ongoing maintenance and repair capability.
From Horała’s view, defining the CPK as a high-value target for potential adversaries is legitimate, but it must be weighed against the benefit of increasing Poland’s strategic resilience. The project is seen as strengthening the country’s defense posture by improving logistics and deterrence, while also presenting challenges and risks that must be managed carefully.
In his final remarks, Horała stressed that the CPK’s strategic importance lies in improving mobility and resilience rather than serving as a solitary solution. The discussion underscores the need to weigh military and civilian benefits, as well as the environmental and logistical implications, in planning ahead for Poland’s aviation and defense infrastructure.