Warsaw Modlin Airport Guide: The Capital’s Low Cost Airfield
Warsaw Modlin Airport is the Polish capital's low cost alternative to Chopin. Read about its military past, runway, Ryanair routes, trains and coaches.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Warsaw Modlin Airport is the Polish capital’s second airport, built on a former military airfield north of the city. Since 2012 it has served low cost airlines, above all Ryanair, offering cheaper fees than Warsaw Chopin. Traffic hit 3.4 million passengers in 2023 before falling sharply to about 1.74 million in 2025. Wizz Air’s return in December 2025 has given the airport fresh momentum, though its future depends on decisions about Warsaw’s wider airport system.
Warsaw Modlin Airport at a Glance
The codes are WMI for IATA and EPMO for ICAO. The airport lies at Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, around 22 to 25 miles (35 to 40 km) north west of central Warsaw. Elevation is 104 metres (341 feet). There is one runway and a single storey passenger terminal.
Passenger numbers fell 35 per cent in 2025 to 1,744,056, making it the seventh busiest airport in Poland. Ryanair has based aircraft at Warsaw Modlin Airport since 2012 and remains the dominant carrier. Wizz Air came back on 1 December 2025 with 11 new routes, and Air Arabia flies to Sharjah. Timetables and transfer details are on the airport’s official website.
From Military Airfield to Airport
Modlin was designed as a military airfield in 1937 under the Second Polish Republic, but war came before it opened. The German Luftwaffe made it operational in 1940. After the Red Army seized it, the field served Soviet forces, and the Polish Air Force took over after 1945. From 1976 into the 1990s it hosted the 45th Air Experimental Squadron. The defence ministry closed the airfield in 2000.
Civil conversion was proposed in the early 2000s to replace the cramped Etiuda low cost terminal at Chopin. The airport was registered for civil use on 8 February 2010, but opening slipped repeatedly from an original 2005 target. It missed the Euro 2012 football championship and was finally inaugurated on 15 July 2012, with a first flight from Budapest.
The early months were rocky. On 22 December 2012 larger aircraft were barred because of defects in the runway surface, and Ryanair moved its flights to Chopin. Full operations resumed on 4 July 2013, and Ryanair returned that September. Wizz Air said it would not come back, a decision it reversed twelve years later.
Runways at Warsaw Modlin Airport
There is a single asphalt runway, 08/26, measuring 2,500 metres (8,202 feet) long, with a parallel taxiway along its full length. That length is ample for the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families that make up nearly all traffic.
After the 2013 repairs, a Category I instrument landing system entered service on 19 September 2013, and Category II followed by 1 May 2014. That upgrade matters in a Polish winter, when fog and low cloud regularly settle over the Vistula valley.
The runway runs roughly east to west. Prevailing westerly winds favour runway 26, with arrivals from the east over the forests and farmland of Mazovia. The apron has room for ten aircraft, which caps how many airliners can be on the ground at once.
Terminals and Airlines
All flights use the single storey terminal, which offers departures, arrivals and a handful of shops and cafes. There are no jet bridges, so passengers walk or take a bus to the aircraft. The compact layout makes for quick transfers from kerb to gate on quieter days, though peak waves can strain it.
Ryanair flies to dozens of European cities, including London Stansted, Rome Ciampino, Dublin, Milan Bergamo, Barcelona, Alicante and Stockholm Arlanda. Wizz Air’s network includes Athens, Bergen, Chisinau and Malta. Air Arabia links Warsaw Modlin Airport with Sharjah, and Enter Air flies seasonal holiday charters.
Routes and Destinations
London Stansted was the busiest route in 2024 with almost 300,000 passengers, though that was down 17 per cent. Rome Ciampino followed with nearly 198,000, up 24 per cent. Dublin, Bergamo and Barcelona completed the top five, each above 100,000.
The network reflects Poland’s large diaspora in Britain and Ireland, alongside city breaks and sun routes. Summer brings extra flights to Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal, while winter keeps the core diaspora and city routes running. Ryanair adds Zagreb from 26 October 2026 and drops Naples two days earlier, a reminder that the schedule shifts constantly. Long haul flights are absent from Warsaw Modlin Airport, and cargo is negligible. Travellers wanting long haul connections head to Chopin, where LOT runs its hub.
Getting to and from Warsaw Modlin Airport
There is no station at the terminal. A shuttle bus runs about 2.5 miles (4 km) to Modlin railway station, where up to 62 trains a day leave for Warsaw. Of those, 21 hourly services run through Warszawa Centralna to Chopin Airport. A combined bus and train ticket is the cheapest sensible option, with the journey to central Warsaw taking around an hour.
ModlinBus and OKbus run direct coaches to Warsaw, Lodz, Torun, Plock and other towns. By road, national route 62 connects with the S7 expressway towards Warsaw and Gdansk. A 3.4 mile (5.5 km) rail spur to a new station at the terminal has finally gone out to tender, with passenger services targeted for 2029.
Spotting and Photography
Warsaw Modlin Airport is relaxed and easy for spotters. Roads around the perimeter, through the woods and fields of the former air base, give views of both approaches. Traffic is predictable, with Ryanair Boeing 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s making up most movements.
Wizz Air Airbus A321neos, Air Arabia A320s and Enter Air charters add variety. The 19th century Modlin Fortress, at the meeting of the Vistula and Narew rivers, is close by and worth combining with a visit. Stay on public roads, keep clear of fences and follow instructions from police and airport security.
What Comes Next
Modlin’s long term role is uncertain. The planned new central hub airport between Warsaw and Lodz could reshape the market in the 2030s, and the long promised rail spur is still years from opening. Wizz Air’s return shows airlines still value a cheaper alternative to Chopin.
Warsaw Modlin Airport needs to rebuild traffic and secure the rail link to stay relevant. If it does, it can remain the capital’s low cost field for years to come. See how it compares with Chopin and Krakow on our Airports of the World map.
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