The European Commission has put a stop to financing any new airport in Poland until 2020. “Regional airports are a good thing and also needed, but enough’s enough. Airports generate income, new places of work, they open the region up to the world, but only a handful of people can use the airport’s services,” said Bartosz Głowacki of Skrzdlata Polska magazine. “If we have three large airports in a radius of 50 km, they will stand empty or will be very rarely used,” he added. The Ministry of Infrastructure & Development and the European Commission have come to the same conclusion, with the latter only offering co-financing for construction and modernization of its TEN-T transport network. The only airport to receive financing from the EU will be Szczytno-Szymany, which was allocated cash from the previous budget perspective. However, the investment must be completed by 2015, which may be a challenge as the tenders have only just been announced for terminal construction. -- The Baltic city of Gdynia may also have to scrap its plans for an airport located only 25 km from Gdansk Airort, with the possibility of having to return PLN 91 million in secured funds from municipal authorities as Brussels is currently analyzing the airport’s profitability. #987.6

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