New piers at Chopin Airport in Warsaw

[sn26567]

More space, more jet bridges, new shops and cafes – two new piers have been opened at Chopin Airport, improving the check-in experience for passengers and providing more contact stands for airlines.

“This marks another major step forward for our airport,” says Michał Marzec, Director of Chopin Airport. “Extended terminal area will make our passengers’ time at the airport even more enjoyable.”

The central and south piers represent the final stage of the construction of the new part of the terminal. The entire facility is now 18.3 thousand sq. m. larger than before occupying a total area of 148 thousand sq. m. Also the number of gates increased, from 28 to 45, and the number of boarding bridges, from 15 to 24.

“The number of available jet bridges will make us one the leading airports in Central Europe. More planes will be able to park directly by the terminal, which is much more convenient for passengers,” says Michał Marzec.

The central pier is 184 meters long and 20-21.6 meters wide (the width varies depending on the level) while the south pier is 132 meters long and 21.5-26.5 meters wide. Once integrated with the north pier, already in use since 2008, they will form one of the longest (720 meters) roofed passageways in Poland.

The central pier has two direct access points from the duty-free area of the departures hall in the main terminal building. The south pier offers two new shops and catering points: Baltona Bestseller Duty Free, Relay newsagent’s, Empik Cafe and, for the first time at a Polish airport, a sushi bar (the restaurant is scheduled to open in a few weeks).

Chopin airport website 16.08.2011

[earthman]

The airport and media always clamor about all those piers at WAW, but in reality it is a single very long pier. The distinction is/was only relevant to the builders: the 'central' pier is built in front of/attached to the old terminal, the south pier is a 'standalone' extension to the south. On the outside it's one continuous structure and on the inside it's a single open area. The numbering of the gates is continuous. They even renamed the whole complex 'Terminal A' (there is no B). The old terminal building is absorbed into the complex, and after the Euro 2012 soccer tournament it will be reconstructed to match the newly built parts.