Low flyers

"We are not planning any revolutionary changes in the ownership structure of the company. There are too many other tasks that the airport has to handle," said Eugeniusz Wróbel, the Deputy Transport and Construction Minister, at a conference on the development of Polish airports.

"First of all, expansion works have to finish and then the Polish Air Traffic Agency has to be separated from the Airport Authorities," he added.

"Theoretically, Okęcie has the capacity to service 3.5 million passengers. Already this year, twice as many people landed or took off from Warsaw and according to IATA Poland is going to be the fastest developing air market in the world," stressed Artur Burak, spokesperson of Polish Airport Authority (PPPL).

Starting from 2007, revenues from air traffic management will be controlled by the EU and for that reason the new Air Traffic Agency will have to change into a separate institution answering directly to the state.

The Ministry of Transport and Construction would also like the PPPL to hand over to the local government regional airports that are now developing at a rapid rate. Hovever, the expansion of many regional airports is being hampered by land-ownership disputes.