Who is not telling the truth: the head of Ryanair or the Polish ministry?

Michael O'Leary, president of the Ryanair airline, revealed in an interview with WNP that he talked to one of the deputy ministers of infrastructure. It was intended to make it clear that the government is not at all interested in building the Central Communication Port.

Did Michael O'Leary talk to the deputy minister about CPK?

The Ministry of Infrastructure denied the information about the meeting between the official and the president of low-cost Irish airlines.

O'Leary has been a long-time opponent of CPK. In February 2023, at a press conference in Warsaw, he said that he hoped that the government would withdraw the idea of ​​​​building a huge airport in Baranów.

– It is not too late to abandon the construction of the Central Communication Port. Moreover, this investment should be stopped. This project in the wrong place, at the wrong time, is a complete waste of money. Only idiot politicians could come up with such an idea, said the president of a popular low-cost airline.

According to the businessman, Warsaw already has a sufficient number of airports – apart from Chopin Airport, there is also a port in Modlin. O'Leary, however, does not treat the airport in Radom as a port whose offer may interest the inhabitants of the capital and its surroundings . – The airport in Radom can serve Radom – he said and reminded that it is located 100 km from Warsaw.

O'Leary criticizes CPK

In his opinion, a project that assumes that passengers will want to use airports far from their destination will not succeed. – Politicians are talking about a huge infrastructure project, new railway lines and trains that will take passengers to the central airport and fly from there. But people don't want to fly like that anymore. The model of the transport system is changing. If someone wants to fly to Gdańsk, they look for a direct connection to Gdańsk. To Warsaw? To Chopin Airport or Modlin, which are close. They will not want to fly to Warsaw either via CPK or Radom – he explained in an interview with money.pl.

Two days later Mikołaj Wild, the then head of CPK, responded to the words of the controversial Irishman.

“It will be short because it is a waste of time to comment on infotainment” – began his entry, in which he referred to the sensational statement of the head of Ryanair, Mikołaj Wild. Firstly he stated that “The mission of CPK is to ensure that the passenger offer in Poland is not limited to cheap airlines”. Secondly, he pointed out that “The example of WAW shows that Ryanair can fly at market rates. I hope that this will be standard at airports with the CPK Group”.

CPK audit

The previous government was determined to complete the construction of the CPK. The successors are not convinced that such a large airport is needed, so the decision was made to commission an audit. However, there was a problem: first the first tender was canceled, then another one was announced, but no companies interested in carrying it out showed up.

– Due to the lack of offers, the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny company did not resolve the tender for the financial audit. Due to the above, a decision was made that the audit would be continued by the company, the Office of the Plenipotentiary for CPK and with the use of external consultants – we read in the announcement of the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) company.