Standing ovation
Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin Airport continues to hit the high notes, despite the challenging economic conditions in Europe, writes Chris Beanland.
M 36
arch 2011 will mark 10 years since Warsaw’s airport was renamed in honour of the pianist Fryderyk Chopin.
During that time the airport has consistently hit the high notes, managing to double its traffi c from 4.71 million passengers in 2001 to a high of 9.46 million in 2008. Plus, this year marked democratic Poland’s coming of age, as the country celebrated 21 years of democracy and free enterprise. Like so many other European airports, Warsaw experienced a drop in traffi c in 2009, handling a total of 8.32 million passengers during the year. But the future still looks rosy for the gateway. A terminal expansion, a new
rail link, a slew of new routes and even a business park are all in the pipeline. There is no argument that Poland has had a turbulent and tormented history – war, foreign rule, Fascism, and then Communism, all took their toll on this proud nation and its infrastructure. Warsaw’s Achilles heel was always that it was located between two mighty empires – Germany and Russia – who carved up its territory. Now that ‘buffer’ status is turning out to be Warsaw’s trump card. Lying between a thriving Germany and a re-invigorated Russia, Poland is in pole position to reap the economic rewards of a new concord between east and west. The catchment area within a two-hour drive of the airport is seven million
people, but infrastructure upgrades of Poland’s roads mean that by 2015 this fi gure will be nearer to 12 million. The airport’s new terminal, which opened in 2008 and is home to LOT Polish Airlines and its Star Alliance partners Adria, Austrian, Brussels, Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss, TAP and Turkish, is a gleaming testament to the future. The airport’s Piotr Nalej, commercial bureau director, gave Routes News the low-down on the big things happening in the Polish capital, starting with the case of LOT, Poland’s fl ag carrier and the new terminal’s main tenant. “Warsaw’s main customer is LOT Polish Airlines and despite the problems
www.routes-news.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84