Port Polska at the IATA World Legal Symposium in Warsaw
For the first time, Warsaw hosted the prestigious IATA World Legal Symposium (WLS), bringing together aviation legal experts from around the world to discuss liability, digitalisation, and regulatory challenges. From February 17-19, 2026, Port Polska partnered in this landmark event, reflecting its commitment to building world-class infrastructure within a stable and predictable legal framework.
After the 2024 edition in Vancouver and last year’s symposium in Shanghai, the Warsaw edition gathered senior legal leaders from IATA and ICAO, alongside general counsel and legal executives from major carriers including Air Canada, IAG, Air Baltic and FlyDubai, as well as leading aviation law academics.
Dr. Filip Czernicki, CEO of Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, which is responsible for implementing Port Polska investment programme, opened the conference alongside Poland’s Minister of Infrastructure, Dariusz Klimczak, and the CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, Michał Fijoł. A Doctor of Law and attorney-at-law with extensive experience in aviation law and corporate governance, Dr. Czernicki’s expertise bridges legal frameworks and infrastructure development, making his perspective particularly relevant to the discussions at the symposium.
His keynote speech highlighted Warsaw’s historical role as the birthplace of modern civil aviation law. “It is my honour to welcome you to the IATA World Legal Symposium in the very city where the modern history of civil aviation law began. It was here, in Warsaw, that the Warsaw Convention was signed in 1929, unifying the fundamental rules of carrier liability in international transport,” he said.
He emphasized that predictable and coherent legal frameworks are essential for the development of the aviation sector. Connectivity depends not only on runways and terminals, but on liability regimes, traffic rights, regulatory coherence, and the enforceability of cross-border obligations. Clear and predictable rules encourage investment, support safer and more efficient operations, and ultimately strengthen passenger trust – said Filip czernicki
Dr. Czernicki spoke about the importance of legal certainty for both airlines and infrastructure development. “Aviation, by its very nature, depends on coherent cross-border legal arrangements. When regimes fragment – whether in relation to liability, airspace access, or enforcement mechanisms – predictability suffers. And when predictability suffers, investment, network planning, and risk allocation become significantly more complex,” he explained.
Port Polska’s projects reflect this principle.
– Beyond its physical scale, what defines this project is its integrated approach. Airside and landside operations, digital systems, high-speed rail connections, and road access are being designed as a single, coordinated ecosystem. The objective is not simply to build infrastructure, but to reduce operational friction, improve predictability, and create conditions in which airlines can grow with confidence – Czernicki noted.
Shaping the future of aviation
Dr. Czernicki concluded by stressing the broader significance of the WLS: “May this Symposium, held in the city where modern aviation liability was first codified, contribute to shaping rules that allow aviation not only to operate, but to thrive.”
Port Polska’s participation in the symposium reflected our commitment to connecting technical innovation with legal certainty, demonstrating that the development of Europe’s aviation infrastructure goes hand in hand with a predictable, stable, and globally aligned legal framework.
Port Polska is a strategic investment programme, delivered by the state-owned company Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, focused on building the transport, logistics, and mobility backbone of Central Europe. By efficiently integrating air, rail, and road networks, it will radically transform the region’s infrastructure – removing barriers, supporting development, and better serving society. The project is not only vital for Poland’s connectivity and economic growth but will also act as a key driver of integration across Central and Eastern Europe.