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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has called for all of the country’s civilian airports to be adapted for dual military use as Poland continues to ramp up military preparedness amid the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
“Every airport must be adapted and adjusted in some way to be able to cooperate and operate with the military,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz, who serves as both defence minister and deputy prime minister, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
💬 Musi być więcej lotnisk używanych równocześnie przez cywilne i wojskowe statki powietrzne. Musimy wzmacniać te możliwości. Tak naprawdę każde lotnisko musi być w jakiś sposób dostosowane do współpracy z wojskiem.
🍀@KosiniakKamysz
📍@PremierRP pic.twitter.com/1XrFJLnjoc— 🍀 PSL (@nowePSL) February 25, 2025
The minister cited Kraków-Balice, Poland’s second-busiest airport, as a key example of a dual-use facility, housing both a civilian terminal and an airbase. He also pointed to the military section of Warsaw Chopin Airport and highlighted the strategic role Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport has played during the war in Ukraine.
“Aid and support to Ukraine pass [through it], and without it, Ukraine would not have been able to fight for the past three years,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The defence minister also noted that a planned new airport in central Poland, which will be by far the country’s largest, will be “very important in terms of security”
His remarks follow comments last week by deputy infrastructure minister Maciej Lasek, who told broadcaster RMF that “for some time already” they have been “talking with the defence ministry about the dual use of Polish airports, both for civilian and military purposes”.
Lasek said that work was already underway to expand Rzeszów’s airport and to build cargo hubs with rail links and fuel reserves at the airports in Katowice and Wrocław.
Szczecin’s airport, he added, would also be adapted for dual use as both a passenger terminal and for emergency response operations.
Poland has announced that a state firm will become the partner in plans to build a major new airport, replacing a Franco-Australian consortium chosen under the former government.
"We want the largest project in Poland to be a completely Polish initiative" https://t.co/MTd40Qapz9
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 24, 2024
“There is a saying: ‘If you want peace, prepare for war,’” said Lasek. “We have to be ready for different scenarios. We should take care of our security ourselves, in cooperation with Europe.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has rapidly ramped up its defence spending and military preparedness. This year, its defence budget will rise to 4.7% of GDP, by far the highest relative figure in NATO.
As well as being a frontline state on NATO’s eastern flank, Poland has become the primary hub for equipment being supplied to Ukraine, as well as the main conduit for people travelling in and out of the country.
Poland's foreign minister has called for "peace through strength" in a UN speech on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We, as Europeans, will continue to stand side by side with Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace" https://t.co/qhr7kvSvLz
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 25, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: magro_kr/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
