• Poland’s Port Polska, developed by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, is being built as a purpose-designed air cargo and logistics hub, integrating air, rail, and road infrastructure from the outset to offer a fully multimodal gateway.
• The airport features dedicated cargo terminals, specialised cold-chain facilities for pharmaceuticals and perishables, automated processes, and a Cargo Management System to coordinate operations digitally across stakeholders and modes.
• Sustainability and scalability are central, with Net Zero Ready infrastructure, renewable energy, and phased capacity expansion aligned with Poland’s growing e-commerce and cross-border freight demand, positioning Port Polska as a strategic Central European logistics node.

A new state-of-the-art cargo hub is taking shape in Central Europe. Poland’s Port Polska, developed by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), is positioning itself as a next-generation air cargo and logistics gateway, aiming to rival established regional airports with smart design, multimodal integration, and scalable infrastructure.

  Built from the ground up between Warsaw and Łódź, the new airport is the centrepiece of the national Port Polska investment programme, a strategic effort to overhaul Poland’s transport system by linking air, rail, and road infrastructure into a single, coordinated network.

Designed for cargo from day one

While many existing airports retrofit their facilities to handle growing cargo volumes, Port Polska is being developed with cargo front and centre.

  “The new Polish airport is positioning itself as a competitive air cargo hub in Central and Eastern Europe, using a greenfield development model that enables cargo and logistics infrastructure to be designed holistically from the outset,” CPK stated.

  That includes purpose-built cargo terminals, logistics zones, and integrated digital systems—not only for aviation-related freight but also for broader logistics flows, including sea–air and road–rail interfaces. A dedicated Cargo City complex will anchor the development, offering space for forwarders, integrators, and 3PLs to establish operations from day one.

  Where legacy hubs often struggle with fragmented interfaces between air, road, and rail freight, Port Polska is designed as an integrated multimodal node.

  “At CPK, integration is not treated as a purely technical issue, but as a system-level design and governance challenge,” a project spokesperson explained. That includes co-located rail terminals, direct access to the A2 motorway, and digital tools like a Cargo Management System to track shipments and manage operations across multiple modes.

  The physical integration is complemented by digital coordination. The Cargo Management System will “consolidate freight information at the airport-operator level while delivering value to airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers, and border services.”

  This infrastructure backbone, combined with collaborative planning between road authorities, customs bodies, and private logistics stakeholders, is designed to enable door-to-door predictability across the entire supply chain.

Unlike existing Warsaw Chopin Airport, where growth is constrained, the new airport offers long-term scalability

  These projections demonstrate that the new airport developed under the Port Polska investment programme is designed not only to meet initial demand, but to support phased, long-term expansion, with capacity growing in line with market development and the evolution of its cargo and logistics infrastructure.

  The rise of cross-border e-commerce, express freight, and time-sensitive cargo, such as perishables, is embedded into the airport’s DNA.

  “We include dedicated cargo zones for integrators, with their own aircraft parking aprons located in the immediate vicinity of the terminals,” CPK said. Process automation and airside–landside speed are key, with ongoing discussions around integration with courier networks and handling agents.

  For pharma and perishables, specialised cold-chain infrastructure is already in design, with “numerous temperature-controlled warehouses” and “certified pharmaceutical warehouses (GDP)” planned, as well as facilities for chilled and frozen goods.

  Digitalisation supports these operations end-to-end—from shipment pre-notification and customs integration to real-time data exchange with forwarders and carriers.

Sustainability from the ground up

The airport’s Net Zero Ready model brings green construction and operations to the fore, combining renewable energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, and waste reduction initiatives.

  Photovoltaic systems will power large parts of the airport and Cargo City, while 85 per cent of construction waste is targeted for reuse. Facilities will also meet BREEAM Excellent and Very Good certification standards.

  Sustainability is built into both physical infrastructure and operations, making the airport’s logistics offering more aligned with cargo customers’ decarbonisation goals.

  To attract international carriers, CPK is not only building infrastructure but also a community. A dedicated air cargo forum already includes airlines, forwarders, handlers, customs bodies, and logistics players.

  The Polish market itself is attractive: above-EU-average growth rates, rising e-commerce demand, and proximity to both Eastern and Western Europe. With cargo expected to grow 10 per cent annually through 2040, Poland is fast becoming a strategic logistics node.

  As CPK puts it: “This is not a standalone airport. It’s a multimodal cargo gateway designed for the next generation of logistics.”

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