AARHUS, Denmark—Seat capacity from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), Poland’s main international gateway, is set to rise by about 10% during summer 2024 as owner Polish Airports (PPL) works to address capacity constraints.
The airport handled 18.5 million passengers in 2023—just 2% down on 2019 levels—and is forecasting a rise to about 20.5 million in 2024. New routes being launched include LOT Polish Airlines’ entry to the Saudi Arabia market with flights to Riyadh from June, and Ethiopian Airlines’ service from Addis Ababa, which is also scheduled to start in June.
However, speaking at Routes Europe 2024, a spokesperson for PPL said that capacity will near 100% at WAW this summer, which is creating challenges. “The airport team is working on solutions which will solve some of those problems,” the spokesperson said. “A new apron will be built to make space for additional aircraft."
“The airport is planning to buy new X-ray machines which will make security checks faster and smoother for the passengers,” the spokesperson added.
Additionally, PPL owns and manages Warsaw Radom Airport (RDO), which opened a year ago, and the smaller Zielona Góra Babimost Airport (IEG) in western Poland. It also holds shares in most regional airports in Poland, including Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Poznań, Rzeszów and Wrocław.
At RDO, PPL is seeking to increase LCC traffic and point-to-point service. Recent successes include the launch of Wizz Air flights to Larnaca, Cyprus, last December, and the addition of LOT Polish Airlines service to the likes of Podgorica, Montenegro, and Preveza, Greece.
Meanwhile, at IEG, PPL is planning to build a new section of the terminal to accommodate the growing number of non-Schengen passengers.
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