Katowice International Airport
Encyclopedia
Katowice International Airport is an international airport
, located in Pyrzowice
, 30 km (18.6 mi) north of center of Katowice
, Poland
. The airport has third biggest passenger flow in Poland.
The airport
features two passenger terminals
A and B and a cargo terminal. Its concrete runway
is 2800 by and can accommodate aircraft as large as Boeing 747
or Boeing 777
, albeit not at Maximum Takeoff Weight. Heavy transports such as Antonov
An-124
or An-225
have been noticed to land there. The airport uses new generation Instrument Landing System
- Thales
420.
soldier
s. In 1940 the Luftwaffe
began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. The Germans built three stone and concrete strips with a length of runway from 1000 to 1500 meters and 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for the handling of military aircraft, flying from the inner part of the German Reich to the aeroplanes taking supplies to troops on the Eastern Front
. In the final phase of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
powered aircraft missile systems have been tested here. From 1945 to 1951, Soviet Army
's soldiers were stationed at the airbase. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airbase the Polish Air Force
. It was then used by the 39 Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951. The airbase Pyrzowice the first time made available as a passenger airport 6 October 1966, when the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines, taking off for Warsaw. By the end of 1969 year a small passenger terminal was built (550 m²) with a taxiway and apron front of the airport. In 1991 Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (GTL) (Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was created . In 27 March 1993 the German carrier Lufthansa flew to Frankfurt
, thus inaugurating the first international service. Passenger Terminal B officially opened on 30 July 2007. Katowice International Airport is constantly developing. Future plans to extend the runway, the construction of a third passenger terminal, a new and biggest CARGO TERMINAL and a new runway.
flights, while Terminal B handles all Schengen flights. The longest airport observation deck in Poland can be found inside Terminal B.
The following airlines offer scheduled flights to Katowice:
Additionally, a broad range of charter airlines operate to and from the airport, including:
was opened between the Podwarpie junction and the airport. Thanks to this road the airport is easily accessible from Katowice
and other cities of the region by national road 86 and from Kraków by A4 motorway or national road 94. The airport is also accessible by national road 78 and A1 motorway is under construction nearby.
and stops near Altus Building, Novotel Katowice and in Sosnowiec
(Milowice Shopping Center). It takes approximately 50 minutes to get from center of Katowice to the airport. Bus connections from other largest cities of region, such as Kraków
(about 75 minutes travel), Częstochowa
and minibus - inter alia from/to Opole
, Wrocław are also available.
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
, located in Pyrzowice
Pyrzowice
Pyrzowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ożarowice, within Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of Ożarowice, east of Tarnowskie Góry, and north of the regional capital Katowice....
, 30 km (18.6 mi) north of center of Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The airport has third biggest passenger flow in Poland.
The airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
features two passenger terminals
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
A and B and a cargo terminal. Its concrete runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
is 2800 by and can accommodate aircraft as large as Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
or Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
, albeit not at Maximum Takeoff Weight. Heavy transports such as Antonov
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...
An-124
Antonov An-124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Ukrainian SSR's Antonov design bureau, then part of the Soviet Union. It is the world's largest ever serially-manufactured cargo airplane and world's second largest operating cargo aircraft...
or An-225
Antonov An-225
The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan...
have been noticed to land there. The airport uses new generation Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
- Thales
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
420.
History
The place where the Katowice International Airport is now located, was first used by GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s. In 1940 the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. The Germans built three stone and concrete strips with a length of runway from 1000 to 1500 meters and 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for the handling of military aircraft, flying from the inner part of the German Reich to the aeroplanes taking supplies to troops on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. In the final phase of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
powered aircraft missile systems have been tested here. From 1945 to 1951, Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
's soldiers were stationed at the airbase. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airbase the Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
. It was then used by the 39 Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951. The airbase Pyrzowice the first time made available as a passenger airport 6 October 1966, when the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines, taking off for Warsaw. By the end of 1969 year a small passenger terminal was built (550 m²) with a taxiway and apron front of the airport. In 1991 Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (GTL) (Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was created . In 27 March 1993 the German carrier Lufthansa flew to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, thus inaugurating the first international service. Passenger Terminal B officially opened on 30 July 2007. Katowice International Airport is constantly developing. Future plans to extend the runway, the construction of a third passenger terminal, a new and biggest CARGO TERMINAL and a new runway.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
The airport has two passenger terminals and cargo terminal. Operations at terminal B, much bigger than A, started on 30 July 2007. Terminals are capable of handling about 3.6 million passengers annually. Terminal A handles all non-SchengenSchengen Area
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985...
flights, while Terminal B handles all Schengen flights. The longest airport observation deck in Poland can be found inside Terminal B.
The following airlines offer scheduled flights to Katowice:
Additionally, a broad range of charter airlines operate to and from the airport, including:
|
Bulgaria Air Bulgaria Air , is the flag carrier airline of Bulgaria, with its head office on the grounds of Sofia Airport in Sofia. The company is owned by Chimimport Inc and is a leader in terms of market share... Bulgarian Air Charter Bulgarian Air Charter is a charter airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operates charter services for tour operators between the two Bulgarian Black Sea airports Burgas Airport, Varna Airport and in winter season to Plovdiv Airport and Sofia Airport to European countries. Its main base is Sofia... Corendon Airlines Corendon Airlines is a Turkish and Dutch registered aircraft operator headquartered in Antalya, Turkey and Amsterdam, Netherlands . Corendon Group entities include some tour operators which serve within the tourism sector. Corendon Airlines has a close co-operation relationship with the Turkish... Enter Air Enter Air is a charter airline based in Warsaw, Katowice Airport, and Poznań-Ławica Airport, Poland, operating holiday flights out of Bydgoszcz Airport, Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, Katowice International Airport, Krakow Airport, Łódź Airport, Poznań-Ławica Airport, Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, Warsaw... |
LOT Polish Airlines Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,... Nouvelair Nouvelair Limited Company is a Tunisian airline with its registered office in Tunis, while its head office in the Dhkila Tourist Zone in Monastir, near the Hôtel Sahara Beach. The airline operates tourist charters from European cities to Tunisian holiday resorts... Onur Air Onur Air is an airline based in Florya, Bakırköy district, Istanbul, Turkey. It operates scheduled domestic services and charter flights to a large number of destinations throughout Europe from its main base at Atatürk International Airport... Pegasus Airlines Pegasus Airlines is a low-cost airline headquartered in the Halkalı area of Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey. Formerly a charter airline in partnership with Aer Lingus, Pegasus is now completely controlled by Esas Holding.- History :... |
Sky Airlines Sky Airlines is an airline which operates chartered flights. It is based in Antalya, Turkey, operating on behalf of tour operators on short and medium haul routes into Turkey. The company was established in 2000 and started operations in 2001. It is wholly owned to by Kayi Group... SunExpress SunExpress is an airline based in Antalya, Turkey. It operates scheduled and charter flights to destinations in Europe. Its main base is Antalya International Airport .-History:... |
Travel Service (Czech Republic) Travel Service Airlines is an airline based in the Czech Republic, a subsidiary of Icelandair Group. It has a Budapest-based subsidiary Travel Service Kft... Tunisair Société Tunisienne de l'Air, or Tunisair is the flag carrier airline of Tunisia. Formed in 1948, it operates scheduled international services to European, African and Middle Eastern destinations. Its main base is Tunis-Carthage International Airport... |
Cargo airlines
By car
In 2006 express road S1Expressway S1 (Poland)
Expressway S1 or express road S1 is an expressway under construction in Poland with a planned length of , which is located in the Silesian and Lesser Poland voivodeships. It is connecting A1 motorway with A4 motorway and the border of the Czech Republic in Cieszyn-Boguszowice along with the...
was opened between the Podwarpie junction and the airport. Thanks to this road the airport is easily accessible from Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
and other cities of the region by national road 86 and from Kraków by A4 motorway or national road 94. The airport is also accessible by national road 78 and A1 motorway is under construction nearby.
By bus
There is an hourly bus service between Katowice city centre and the airport. The bus leaves every full hour from Katowice Main Railway StationKatowice Central Station
Katowice railway station is a railway station in Katowice, Silesia, Poland and is the biggest and most important railway station in the Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy area. Both the domestic and the international connections run from there to almost every major city in Poland and Europe. The...
and stops near Altus Building, Novotel Katowice and in Sosnowiec
Sosnowiec
Sosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...
(Milowice Shopping Center). It takes approximately 50 minutes to get from center of Katowice to the airport. Bus connections from other largest cities of region, such as Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(about 75 minutes travel), Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
and minibus - inter alia from/to Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Wrocław are also available.
By rail
There is currently no passenger rail link to airport but building of a railway between Katowice and the airport is being planned.Statistics
Following are the official airport annual traffic levels:| Year | Passengers | Air operations | Cargo (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 68,203 | 3,586 | 596 |
| 1997 | 101,054 | 4,290 | 1,241 |
| 1998 | 150,724 | 6,256 | 1,365 |
| 1999 | 170,230 | 6,510 | 1,522 |
| 2000 | 168,126 | 8,710 | 7,745 |
| 2001 | 180,015 | 9,441 | 2,196 |
| 2002 | 202,267 | 8,389 | 2,886 |
| 2003 | 257,991 | 9,375 | 3,548 |
| 2004 | 622,612 | 13,803 | 5,038 |
| 2005 | 1,092,358 | 16,222 | 5,636 |
| 2006 | 1,458,411 | 21,014 | 6,113 |
| 2007 | 1,995,914 | 24,489 | 7,795 |
| 2008 | 2,426,942 | 27,030 | 12,703 |
| 2009 | 2,364,613 | 26,206 | 6,543 |
| 2010 | 2,403,253 | 26,770 | 9,202 |
Accidents and incidents
- On 27 October 2007, a Boeing 737-800Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
chartered by the UNUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
destroyed dozens of approach and landing lights whilst making a low approach. No passengers were injured, but the approach lights were out of service for three weeks.