Former military airport at Sochaczew 40km west of Warsaw to be converted into a low cost airport. Start of operations is planned for 2011.
Meinl Airports International Ltd. (MAI) will develop an airport for the metropolis Warsaw and the Warsaw region. The new airport at Sochaczew, 40km west of Warsaw will
concentrate preliminary on low cost carrier service. The total investment volume for the development of the airport amounts to approximately EUR 210 million, with the first flights planned to take off by 2011. The airport harbors a significant growth potential, as a considerable increase in the flight volume is expected for Warsaw and the existing "Warsaw Okecie Airport" will reach its capacity limits within the coming years. Experts expect that by the year 2012 an annual passenger volume of more than 2 million
will be handled at Sochaczew.
Low cost airport for Warsaw – concept follows other successful low cost airports
MAI’s partner in the tendering process was the operating company of the airport Cologne-Bonn, which
will also act as a consultant for the development of the Polish airport. There are, however, no plans for
the German airport to acquire a financial stake in the project.
The Cologne-Bonn airport has substantial experience in developing a successful low cost carrier
concept: since Germanwings, headquartered at Cologne airport, started its operation 6 years ago, the
former regional airport managed to increase its passenger volume from 5.4 million passengers in 2002
to 10.5 million passengers in 2007. Other European airports that focus on handling low cost and charter
flights or have become alternative airports for these segments, have also shown a highly dynamic
development, airports such as Stansted or the German airport Frankfurt-Hahn, whose background is
very similar to Sochaczew: In the mid-nineties a former military airport was successfully transformed
into a commercial airport focusing on handling low cost flights. Frankfurt-Hahn now handles an annual
passenger volume of approximately 4 million.
Attractive growth potential based on dynamic passenger volume increase in the Warsaw region
The airport’s potential results from the dynamic growth of air traffic in Poland as a whole and the
Warsaw region in particular. Over the past 10 years, the passenger volume at Warsaw airport has
increased from approximately 3.1 million in 1996 to 8.4 million at present. This corresponds to an
annual increase of more than 10%, and is expected to continue. Based on forecasts of the Polish Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) the annual passenger volume in Warsaw or the Warsaw region will exceed 15
million passengers by 2015.
The location of Sochaczew and its available infrastructure, plus the expected passenger volume growth
in the region, provides Sochaczew with all possibilities to establish itself as a second airport in addition
to the main airport of Warsaw-Okecie.
Start of operation 2011 – more than 1 million passengers expected per year
The contracts were signed this week, and in the weeks to come MAI and its local partners will finalize
the development concept for the airport. The new airport at Sochaczew shall be established primarily as
airport for low cost flights and is intended to relieve the existing Warsaw airport in this segment. As
Roman Himmler, Chairman of Meinl Airport Managers, puts it, “We do not consider ourselves as
competitors for “Okecie“, much rather the new airport aims at optimally complementing Okecie.“
And he goes on to say, “Based on the final development concept, MAI plans to get the necessary
approvals and permits for realizing the concept by the end of 2008, so that the first sod can be turned
and construction can start by 2009. After a construction time of about 2 years and a subsequent test
phase required worldwide for getting the final operating license for airports, the new airport is expected
to handle the first passengers in 2011.”
Based on a market and project study, Sochaczew is expected to handle more than 1 million passengers
one year after start of operation. Within 5 years after start of operation, 3 million to 4 million passengers
will be handled per year, and in the long term, annual passenger volumes are expected to approach the
two-digit million range.
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