Ryanair, Warsaw-Modlin airport to triple passenger numbers
Ryanair, Ireland's leading low-cost airline, has sealed a deal with Warsaw-Modlin Airport, vowing to increase passenger numbers to over 5 million a year by 2030 from the current 1.5 million.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ryanair announced that the deal commits Warsaw-Modlin Airport to expanding its existing terminal and increase the number of boarding gates from four to eight and its aircraft parking spaces from 8 to 12. This enlargement would allow the airline to base eight jets at the airport instead of the four it was permitted earlier.
The airport expansion is also projected to create 400 new jobs in areas such as retail, passenger services, airport security and facility maintenance.
Meanwhile, the Irish low-cost carrier will add 200 new positions for pilots, cabin crew and engineers next year, as part of its USD 400 million investment included in the contract. This expansion will allow travellers to fly to 25 new destinations from Warsaw-Modlin with Ryanair.
Poland is currently the fifth-largest European market for Ryanair, said Michal Kaczmarczyk, the CEO of Buzz, a Ryanair Group airline, and Ryanair's general director for Poland, during an event in Warsaw where the agreement was signed.
Jacek Kowalski, Vice President of Warsaw-Modlin Airport, also confirmed that a new railway connection to the terminal will be constructed by the end of 2027. (PAP) yb/jch
