On the right track
Poznań and the whole Wielkopolska region have always been considered to have outstanding transport and logistics network. However, the region hasn't taken to resting on its laurels.
Airports
A case in point is Ławica airport, which is operated by Port Lotniczy Poznań - Ławica Sp. z o.o. It offers the highest, or category A, standard as awarded by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the passenger service, and can accomodate 880 passengers per hour. In 2005 Ławica served to 418,568 passengers, which placed it fifth among Poland's airports. But that number is set to rise.
"Currently Ławica operates seven international routes and one domestic route, which gives it 91 weekly departures from Poznań's airport," says Hanna Surma, spokesperson for Poznań Ławica Airport. "This number will increase, since Ryanair will introduce new three flights to Liverpool per week."
In addition to regular flights, Ławica has been operating number of charter flights which fly to popular tourist destinations such as Antalya, Hurghada, Monastyr and Rhodes. Over 30 of those flights departed from Poznań last August.
Highways
Since the road network around Wielkopolska plays such a significant role in the region's economy, the voivodship has put significant emphasis on highway construction. The Poznań branch of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) has 1,419.2 km of public roads under its management.
Construction of the A2 Highway has been the main road project managed by Poznań's GDDKiA branch together with Wielkopolska Motorways (AW). So far, 195.6 km has been completed. A full 137.5 km was built by AW, while GDDKiA constructed 45.6 kilometers. The remaining 12.5 km belongs to the Poznań bypass road and was also included into the A2 highway project. The A2 is now the second-longest highway in Poland.
Trains
Despite the significant resources pumped into the above projects, Wielkopolska's railway system has not taken a back seat to the region's highways and airports. A number of important railway investment projects have recently kicked off in the area.
The most important of these is the modernization of Poznań's Railway Hub, which is predicted to reach a cost of EUR 105 (zł.417) million. As much as 75 percent of its budget will be covered by European Union funds, while the remaining 25 percent will be allocated from Poland's budget.
"The development will increase the capacity of the railway network around Poznań, especially on the international E2 route, which connects Berlin and Moscow," said Roman Hajdrowski, head of the organizations department at PKP Polish Railways in Poznań. "The modernization is designed to cover 22 kilometers of railway tracks between Swarzędz and Janikowo train stations."
