During an interactive meeting organised by the All India Association of Industries and WTC Mumbai, Mr Mateusz Reszczyk, Consul General of Poland in Mumbai, invited Indian companies to invest in the proposed first private, green airport in the Podlaskie region near its border with Baltic countries, to serve as a bridge between Asia and Europe. He emphasised that the airport provides the perfect opportunity to strengthen investment, trade and tourism ties between India and Europe.
The meeting was organised to create awareness about this proposed airport project and invite Indian companies to invest in it.
In his remarks, Mr Karol Kalicki, President of the Podlaskie Chamber of Aviation and Chairman of the Board, Airport Bialystok, pointed out, “We are looking for strategic Indian investors for this USD 3 billion green airport project in Podlaskie, Eastern Poland, with connection to the New Silk Road Rail Line and the Rail Baltica corridor. This will be the first private airport project and it will be used for civilian, military and air cargo operations on commercial terms. We are looking for partners to build and finance this airport, which can handle the booming air cargo traffic between Asia and Europe. Asia-Europe trade is growing leaps and bounds and the proposed airport is strategically located to handle air cargoes between these regions.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bernard Huber, Board Representative with French countries, Podlaskie Chamber of Aviation, said, “There is a need for a new airport in Eastern Poland as the existing two airports in Warsaw are not enough to meet the growing demand of tourists and cargo traffic. The proposed airport in Podlaskie is close to the highway linking Baltic countries. The airport will have single runway which is 4,000 metre long and 60 metre wide. The airport is projected to handle 1 lakh tonne of cargo and 5 lakh passengers in the first year. In the next ten years, the airport is projected to handle 30 lakh passengers and, if the geopolitical situation normalises in this region, it will increase passenger traffic up to 80 lakhs per annum.”
Mr Huber highlighted that the proposed airport will be Asia’s gateway to central and eastern Europe, which is a fast growing economic region and it is also the perfect point of entry for Asian cargoes to eastern and western Europe. The airport will handle military cargo and civilian cargoes such as agriculture and industrial goods, besides handling passengers.
He emphasised that the proposed airport is strategically located with excellent connectivity to highways and railways. The airport project will have low cost of operations as cost of living in Podlaskie region is lower than that in the rest of Poland, said a release.