Dual-use airports in Poland – a viable symbiosis?
During the Aviation Future Forum, one of the panel discussions was devoted to dual-use airports. What is the current demand for such airports in Poland and what are the outlooks concerning cooperation between port authorities and the military?
In the face of rising geopolitical tensions and recent armed conflicts, airport infrastructure is increasingly perceived not only as a component of the civilian transportation market, but also as a resource of strategic importance. Dual-use airports, combining civilian and military functions, are becoming one of the key links in the security system. At the same time, however, they raise questions concerning their resilience, management or adaptation of infrastructure. These issues, among others, were discussed by industry representatives during the debate.
Conflict attracts interest
As Brigadier General Krzysztof Stobiecki – aviation advisor at the Ministry of Defence – stated at the outset, Russia’s war with Ukraine has shown that the importance of the airports in Rzeszów and Lublin increased significantly.
‘This proves that the military was not interested, in the past, in using these airfields. Before the war, a clear line was drawn between military and civil aviation. A few airports, such as Kraków and others, were used by the army, but our perception definitely changed after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. Now, when we are talking about what the military has at its disposal, we are no longer just talking about military airports, but also about all those civilian airports that are available’ – he noted, pointing out that as recently as in February 2025, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed the need to increase cooperation between airports and the military.
Krzysztof Stobiecki revealed, without disclosing any secret details, that there are plans on how to use airports in wartime. The Ministry of Defence is also planning and conducting exercises using all available airports, and is currently working on dual-use of the Wroclaw airport.
‘It used to be a military airport, then it became a civilian airfield, and now we are working to make it a major port on the NATO map, used to supply allied forces in Poland. Then we will be thinking about Katowice. This is happening, slowly. I must say that the conflict, just like it was with many other groups, has also mobilised us to change our way of thinking’ – he concluded.
Dual-use in practice
The question whether airports are already used, in practice, for dual purposes in Poland could be answered by Bartosz Górski – Vice President of the Management Board at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport – a facility that became a highly important hotspot after the escalation of tensions across our eastern border.
He started by noting that alerts and the need to close the airspace over the airport do not translate into the closure of the airport itself. The misinformation that Rzeszów’s civilian airport is being closed does not affect negatively the authorities’ plans to continue expanding the airfield.
‘We can be treated as a hybrid airport, where civil-military cooperation is thriving, with neither side interfering with the needs of the other. We are growing as a civilian airport, at a rate of several percent each year.
This year we will serve 1.2 million passengers, with their number equalling 800,000 back in 2019. We are also expanding out cargo operations – not only those related to the goods donated to Ukraine, but also commercial cargo. We do not impact the military operations in any manner whatsoever and do not impose any solutions. We are carrying out all operations smoothly’ – said airport’s Deputy CEO.
The war and increased military activity in the east of Poland do not interfere with the development of the airport. This is best evidenced by the fact that Rzeszów Jasionka has become a beneficiary of the Connecting Europe Facility, under which it received nearly €17 million in funding, to be earmarked for the reconstruction of the runway. The first stage of the investment process has already been completed.
‘We have fully restored our operational readiness. We remained open without any interruptions, but no ILS was available. Now, everything is as it should be. More stages of this programme are still ahead of us, and I hope there will be more in store for use in the future. We look forward to working closely with the military. We value this cooperation with the General Staff and various military units, as they not only support us in separating civilian and military operations, but also provide positive feedback on our future investment ideas. We are aware of the role that critical infrastructure plays, as the war in Ukraine has shown that airports need to be included in this category. Our investment plans assume that military traffic will be clearly separated’ – revealed Górski, hoping that PLN 500 million could be spent on those programmes in the years to come, as the recent months have shown that PLN 200 million worth of projects were completed.
Finally, he added that the management of the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport believed that the number of passengers would continue to grow on a regular basis, reaching 1.8 million over the next few years. Consequently, the authorities must already be thinking about a future expansion of the passenger terminal. One idea assumes that part of the old terminal could be refurbished or constructed a new, and that all the infrastructure would be adapted to its dual-use function, so as to be ready to serve both donated and e‑commerce cargo.
Kraków goes back to its roots
The point of view of Kraków-Balice International Airport, meanwhile, was presented by its CEO – Łukasz Strutyński. Talking about the airport’s history, he recalled that it was originally a military airfield, and its civilian operations commenced in 1964, with the first flight from Warsaw to Kraków. Following that event, the proportions began to change. He also recalled that Kraków was the first airport to conclude an operational agreement in 2005, and became a model for documents drawn up at other airports.
‘At that time [in 2005 – editor’s note], we celebrated our millionth passenger in August. It was a big event. We ended that year with 1.5 million passengers, and next year we expect to serve 15 million of them – a tenfold increase in twenty years.
The proportions between of operations of various types have changed as well. This year, the number of operations will exceed 80,000. The share of military operations is decreasing not because military activity is declining, but because the number of commercial flights is growing and Kraków is the fastest developing airport in a group of its European peers’
- he noted, adding that in the winter season the airport’s growth rate will equal nearly 30 percent, which will be a major challenge.
Strutyński also informed that the port was implementing an investment programme whose scale may be small from the point of view of other major projects, such as Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, but is huge for Kraków-Balice Airport. We are talking about PLN 4 billion, with this amount including a new runway and a number of smaller – but also very important – infrastructure components. He assured that the expansion and subsequent investments would not be possible without the military, and that each project is coordinated with the army – including the recently opened Ryanair training centre, the largest of its type in Europe.
‘Without cooperation, such an investment would not be possible. Therefore, we work very closely together on a daily basis. A very symbolic example may be presented here: in September, when one of our planes suffered a runway excursion and paralysed the airport for half a day, the first call I got at the time was from the 8th Air Force Base. They asked if we needed any support, as they had some camp beds they could provide. We took advantage of their offer and provided those beds to passengers for whom there was no more room in hotels. So, we cooperate closely in many areas’ – concluded the airport’s CEO.
Is CPK ready for dual-use?
Meanwhile, Paweł Rogosz, Director of the company’s Financial Department, was asked about plans take into consideration both civilian and military use of the airport at Centralny Port Komunikacyjny’s design stage. He reminded that CPK is not just an airport, but a state-of-the-art transport hub.
‘With all those aspects taken into consideration, adaptation of the existing infrastructure is costly, time-consuming and organisationally challenging. Therefore, in order to optimise cost and effort, all dual use-related factors were accounted for, from the very beginning, in the design of the airport and its accompanying rail and road systems. Often, minor modifications were required only – like a minor change in the location of railways or roundabouts, enabling the passage of heavy equipment. All these issues were consulted with the military and were reflected in the airport’s master plan’ – he concluded.
Regardless of the above, the authorities are aware that first and foremost, the airport will be used for civilian purposes. However, in certain cases, such as emergencies or specific operational needs, it will be available to the military as well.
The debate was summed up by Krzysztof Stobiecki, pointing out that Poland can draw positive examples from other NATO countries, where practically most airports are of the use dual-use variety. He noted the American example, as many military bases located in that country are also used as civilian airports – for instance in Albuquerque. The same thing is happening closer to Poland’s border – in the Lithuanian town of Šiauliai.
‘The experience is there, and there is no doubt that the needs of civilian and military counterparts can be reconciled. The benefits are mutual’ – he concluded optimistically.
