Poland’s new central hub airport project has run into management turbulence, with the president of the board being dismissed along with several members of the management team.
The upheaval comes a month after a change in the Polish government in the wake of parliamentary elections, with an audit of the project planned following concerns over spending decisions.
Project organiser Centralny Port Komunikacyjny’s supervisory board says it dismissed president Mikolaj Wild as well as Radoslaw Kantak, the rail investment member, on 19 January.
The head of financial matters, Andrzej Alot, remains on the CPK board.
This upheaval followed an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on 17 January, during which several supervisory board members were dismissed by new Polish secretary of state for development funds and regional policy Maciej Lasek.
Lasek, a former chair of Poland’s air accident investigation commission, is the government’s representative at CPK, which was set up to direct the creation of the new hub airport to be located between Warsaw and Lodz.
The airport is intended to be a multimodal transport centre connecting air, rail and road.
According to the ministry for development funds and regional policy, the board changes are intended to “improve co-operation” on the project “as well as its verification”.
Among four replacement members appointed to the supervisory board is new chair Filip Czernicki who has been assigned the task of serving as interim president of the airport’s management board for three months, says CPK.
The new members, the ministry states, have “extensive experience” in implementing domestic and international projects.
Lasek states that the government will launch an audit of the airport project to “thoroughly analyse” the activities of CPK.
“The audit is crucial because the schedule for the construction of [the airport] during the [previous] government was unrealistic,” he says, adding that the audit should provide “important information” on processes and decisions taken.
Lasek had urged “restraint” over spending public funds, and expressed scepticism over a church renovation financed by CPK – describing it as a “lack of understanding” over the difference between corporate social responsibility and sponsorship.
“Sponsoring of such projects from public money should not take place, and building good relations with the local community should rely mainly on dialogue,” he said.
CPK had defended the payment, stating that the social programme was aimed at supporting areas in the immediate vicinity of the airport hub.
