Biznes Fakty
CPK later than planned? Project „burdened with numerous risks”
The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has indicated that the preparation and execution of the Central Communication Port (CPK) construction from 2021 to 2023 were not conducted appropriately. The CPK initiative continues to carry several risks, and there is no certainty that the port will commence operations by 2032.
As per the findings from the Supreme Audit Office (NIK), the government representative overseeing the CPK inadequately managed the investment, establishing its scope and timeline based on outdated and unrealistic information, while the CPK organization delayed document preparations and inaccurately forecasted expenditures.
Construction of an airport in Radom lacks economic justification
The audit by the Supreme Audit Office (NIK) also revealed that Polish Airports SA (PPL) mistakenly abandoned the enhancement of Chopin and Modlin airports, reallocating resources instead to build an airport in Radom—without valid economic justification. Consequently, the capacity of Warsaw airports was not increased, resulting in lost income. PPL invested over PLN 738 million in Radom, which has already incurred losses of PLN 67.5 million in 2023–2024.
The Chamber highlighted that by the end of 2023, the CPK organization had completed merely four out of the six tasks outlined in the program. Notably, the location decision was not secured on time—it was issued only in January 2025, causing a 15-month delay. Concurrently, expenditures on the airport segment of the CPK initiative reached PLN 1.3 billion of the projected PLN 7.7 billion, and the preparation of implementation documents was delayed by several months.
The conclusions post-audit were dispatched to, among others, the Government Plenipotentiary for CPK, the management board of the CPK organization, and the PPL management board—urging enhanced oversight, revised timelines and budgets, and the execution of corrective actions.
NIK: The government plenipotentiary supervised dishonestly
During a press conference discussing the audit results concerning the preparation and execution of the investment for the airport component of the CPK, Vice-President of the Supreme Audit Office, Michał Jędrzejczyk, stressed that the auditors did not evaluate the justification for constructing the Central Communication Port but concentrated on the irregularities in its planning, preparation, and construction phases.
„The audit indicates that the preparation and implementation of the construction of the Central Communication Port (CPK) from 2021 to 2023 were executed improperly. The Government Plenipotentiary for the CPK failed to supervise the investment reliably, incorrectly defining its scope and scale while relying on outdated, unrealistic, and unachievable deadlines,” stated Jędrzejczyk.
– The overall financial impact of the irregularities identified in the audit from 2021 to 2025, specifically until the end of May 2025, exceeds PLN 1 billion 74 million – remarked Jakub Niemczyk, director of the Department of Economy, State Treasury, and Privatization at the Supreme Audit Office.
Announcement of filing a notification with the prosecutor’s office
Jędrzejczyk also addressed the report’s finding that Polish Airports SA had unjustifiably refrained from modernizing Chopin Airport and developing Modlin Airport.
„Such actions led to a failure to increase the capacity of these airports and, as a result, lost income. (…) The actions of the former presidents of PPL, which included abandoning the modernization of Chopin Airport in 2019 and the development of Modlin Airport from 2019 to 2023, are particularly shocking to the public. This resulted in an estimated revenue loss of around PLN 83 million in 2024, and in subsequent years, projected losses may reach approximately PLN 226 million,” he assessed.
He further noted that, in the Chamber’s view, the decision to abandon previously planned and approved investments in Modlin Airport seemed aimed at facilitating its closure and might have been an effort to persuade airlines to move their routes to the airport in Radom.
The Chamber also announced its intention to report findings to the prosecutor’s office as a result of the inspection.
According to the established timeline, the construction of the CPK Airport in the Baranów, Wiskitki, and Teresin communes is scheduled to commence in 2026. By 2031, the airport is expected to receive the necessary certifications, and it is planned to become operational in 2032 alongside the first section of Poland’s high-speed rail network: Warsaw – CPK – Łódź. The total estimated cost of the project until 2032 is PLN 131.7 billion.
