The Polish government will build a new airport with a capacity of up to 50 million people

Warsaw - The Polish government wants to build a new airport complex near Warsaw. The new airport, with a capacity of up to 50 million passengers per year, is expected to start operating in about 10 years. Poland intends to invest approximately seven billion euros (about 189 billion crowns), Reuters reported.

The airport is to be located between Warsaw and another major city, Łódź, which is about 120 kilometers southwest of the capital. The project also includes the construction of road and rail connections. Some airports in central Poland would close due to the new complex.

The plan for the new airport complex has been supported mainly by Polish state airline LOT, which was saved from bankruptcy by state subsidies in 2012. "Poland needs a new airport to become a regional transit center," said LOT director Rafal Milczarski. The complex, according to him, will also help the development of the Polish market and economy.

Critics, including the head of the Polish low-cost airline Ryanair, consider the project overpriced and unviable. They compare it to the new airport project in Berlin, which has faced significant complications during construction.

Currently, one of the busiest airports in Central Europe is Prague's Václav Havel Airport. Last year, it served over 13 million passengers. Therefore, the new Polish complex may not compete too much in the future.

The largest Polish air hub so far, Warsaw's Frederic Chopin Airport, served nearly 11.5 million passengers last year.