A plush new airport could be touching down in Europe, set to rival London's Heathrow and even the esteemed Dubai International, as it aims to link the entire continent in unprecedented ways.

The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, a proposed $32.5 billion project, is a fresh aviation gateway in Warsaw that carries the burden of Poland's ambitious mega airport aspirations. However, the concept is swiftly progressing, with the official approval and handover of the passenger terminal design marking a significant leap forward.

This suggests the colossal airport is officially moving into its next phase of development. The question remains, will this new progression challenge the supremacy of the Middle East, home to both the world's largest airport, King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia, and the busiest, Dubai International Airport?

While it still lags behind the world's largest airport, CPK's forecasted passenger capacity makes it a formidable contender as the new hub for Europe. In contrast, Dubai is on course to handle 100 million passengers by the end of next year, thanks to its strategic geographical position with other continents, while the Polish project will eventually accommodate up to 44 million.

Even the busiest airports in Europe handle far fewer passengers than Dubai, with its top airport processing approximately 40 million people in the first half of 2025. Despite significant growth, megahubs like Milan Malpensa and Athens still fall short of the current volumes that Dubai is handling.

Construction of CPK is set to start in 2026, aiming to integrate both air and high-speed rail travel. Its ambitious design aims to revolutionise connectivity across the continent, spanning an impressive 450,000 square metres.

Major designs include roughly 140 check-in desks with the capacity to expand to up to 170, as passenger demand increases, according to Gulf News.

As for the aircraft, the terminal will feature over 20 dedicated contact stands for both narrow-body and wide-body planes, with plans for a phased expansion.

These revolutionary plans, designed by Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, are three times the size of Warsaw Chopin Airport's current terminal. But the impressive figures don't stop there.

Their mega airport will initially be designed to handle up to 34 million passengers annually, with plans to increase to 44 million.

The ambitious multi-billion-pound project is set to include an underground railway station as part of the Warsawód High-Speed Rail Line. The rail system is slated for completion by 2029, while the airport is not anticipated to be fully operational until 2032.

Gulf News reports that developers initially estimated the CPK project would cost a staggering $32.5 billion up to 2032; however, recent estimates suggest this could skyrocket to a whopping $34 billion in total. The colossal airport aims to seize a 'meaningful share of Europe's air traffic' and become a multi-modal hub, but will it justify its astronomical price tag?