A proposed £24 billion mega airport in Warsaw, Poland, is poised to rival London's Heathrow and Dubai International, aiming to become a new European aviation hub. The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) project, estimated to cost up to $34 billion, has received official approval for its passenger terminal design, marking a significant step forward.
Designed by Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, the terminal will span 450,000 square metres—three times the size of Warsaw Chopin Airport's current terminal. It will initially handle 34 million passengers annually, with plans to expand to 44 million, positioning it as a major contender in Europe, though still behind Dubai's projected 100 million passengers by 2025.
Construction is set to begin in 2026, with the airport expected to be fully operational by 2032. The project includes an underground railway station as part of the Warsaw–Łódź High-Speed Rail Line, slated for completion by 2029, integrating air and rail travel to enhance continental connectivity.
The terminal will feature around 140 check-in desks, expandable to 170, and over 20 dedicated contact stands for aircraft, with phased expansion plans. Developers aim for CPK to capture a meaningful share of Europe's air traffic, though its astronomical cost raises questions about its viability.
