John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice

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John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice
Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II
(formerly: Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice)


Entrance to the international terminal in 2007
IATA: KRK – ICAO: EPKK
Summary
Airport type Public, military
Operator MPL Balice
Serves Kraków
Location Balice
Elevation AMSL 241 m / 791 ft
Coordinates 50°04′40″N 19°47′05″E / 50.07778, 19.78472
Website www.lotnisko-balice.pl
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 2,550 8,366 Concrete
Statistics (2007 [1])
Passenger Volume 3,042,351 (+29.60%)
Aircraft Movements 34,900 (+20.71%)

John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice (Polish: Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II since 4 September 2007; earlier in Polish: Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice) (IATA: KRK, ICAO: EPKK) is an international airport located near Kraków, in the village of Balice, 11 km west of the city centre, in southern Poland.

Contents

[edit] History and present circumstances

The airport opened for civil aviation in 1964.

Kraków Airport is the second busiest airport in the country after Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. The airport has good growth prospects, as almost 8 million people live within 100 kilometers of it. The airport also has a favourable location on the network of existing and planned motorways in this region of Poland, but it faces stiff competition from the nearby Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice and other Polish airports.

In 1995 the airport's name was changed from Kraków-Balice Airport to John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice, to honor Pope John Paul II who spent many years of his life in Kraków. For marketing reasons, the official name was further "streamlined" on 4 September 2007 as Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II.

In 2003, when Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair became interested in starting a service from the John Paul II International Airport, the airport authorities refused to reduce the airport fee. In response, the regional authorities of Kraków and Lesser Poland Voivodeship decided to build a new airport near the existing one, using the infrastructure of the military airbase adjacent to the shared runway. Finally an agreement was reached, and the existing airport was opened to Ryanair and other low-cost carriers such as SkyEurope, Germanwings, easyJet and Centralwings.

On March 1, 2007 a separate domestic terminal (T2) was opened. Plans are underway to begin construction of a terminal expansion adjacent to the existing International Terminal (T1).

[edit] Expansion Plans

 This article or section contains information about a planned or expected expansion of an existing airport.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the airport expansion approaches, and as more information becomes available on it.

The main terminal building (T1) is currently being expanded to cater to the growth in passengers the airport has experienced in the last two years. The terminal is being extended towards the apron, with five jetways being added and separate facilities prepared for Schengen and non-Schengen passengers. The next phase involves the construction of a multi-storey car park opposite T1. It is also expected that the railway line will ultimately reach the terminal building, rather than the current temporary stop 250 metres from terminal T1.

[edit] Getting there

"Balice Ekspress" train
"Balice Ekspress" train

[edit] By train

  • The "Balice Ekspres" operates between Kraków Główny (Main railway station) and the Kraków-Balice Airport railway-stop everyday from 4:00 am to midnight, with trains every 30 minutes between 7:00 and 21:00).[2]
    • Trains from Kraków Główny to Kraków Balice Airport depart from platform 1, track 9.
    • Trip time: 16 mins.
    • One-way fare: 6.00 zł (ca. £1.15 or 1.65 €).
      • No fare for luggage.
    • A free shuttle bus operates between the airport train stop and the terminals: international (T1) and domestic (T2).
    • It's possible to walk from the terminal to the railway stop (a walk of 250 metres).
    • Tickets at the airport can be bought:
      • from the conductor aboard the train (no additional fee)
    • Tickets at Kraków Główny (main railway station) can be bought:
      • at any ticket desk
      • from the conductor aboard the train (2.00 zł service fee per transaction)

[edit] By bus

  • Bus 292 connects the airport with the main railway station in Kraków (Kraków Główny) (the bus stop "Dworzec Główny Wschód"). The bus runs every half an hour (every hour off-peak).
    • Journey time: 36 mins.
    • One-way normal fare: 2.50 zł (ca. £ 0.50 or 0.72 €). Tickets may be purchased from a vending machine on board (if available) or from the driver for an additional 0.50 zł.
      • No fare for luggage.
  • Night bus 902 connects the airport with the main railway station in Kraków (Kraków Główny) (the bus stop "Dworzec Główny"). The bus runs from the airport at 2340, 030, and 130 everyday.
    • Journey time: 29 mins.
    • One-way normal fare: 6.00 zł (ca. £ 1.15 or 1.66 €).
      • No fare for luggage.

[edit] By taxi or car

  • Taxi:
    • Journey time to the center: 20-25 mins, depending on the route and traffic conditions
    • Cost: about 50 zł (ca. £ 10 or 14 €).
  • By car, the journey takes around 20 minutes depending on the route and traffic conditions
    • The parking in front of the main terminal (T1) is free for up to 10 minutes.

[edit] Traffic

In 2005 there were more than 1.5 million passengers, a nearly 95% increase over 2004. In 2006 there were more than 2.3 million passengers, an increase of 50% over 2005. On December 20, 2007 the airport served its 3rd million passenger. This increase was partially due to the SkyEurope hub that was closed on October 28, 2007. Overall, Kraków Airport handled 15% of all passenger traffic in Poland in 2006. The most popular international destinations are London (Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton) and Dublin.

[edit] Runway

The airport has one concrete runway, number 07/25, 2550 x 60 m. Runway 07 is open for landing only between sunrise and sunset.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

The following airlines have scheduled services to Kraków as of April 2008:

[edit] International Terminal 1

[edit] Domestic Terminal 2

[edit] Former Airlines and destinations

[edit] Incidents

On 28 August 2007 a Ryanair flight from Shannon blew its front tyre during landing, resulting in an airport closure for a few hours and requiring an emergency evacuation of the aircraft. There were no injuries and the aircraft sustained no further damage.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Data from The Civil Aviation Office of Poland (Urząd Lotnictwa Cywilnego). (Polish)
  2. ^ Train timetable

[edit] External links

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Airports of Poland
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