| John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II |
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| IATA: KRK – ICAO: EPKK
Kraków
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public, military | ||
| Operator | LHC/KRK Airport Services | ||
| Serves | Kraków | ||
| Location | Balice | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 241 m / 791 ft | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 2,550 | 8,366 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2011) | |||
| Passenger Volume | 3 014 060 | ||
| Aircraft Movements | |||
| Source: Polish AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Statistics from Civil Aviation Office of Poland[2] |
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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 (6.8 mi) west[1] of the city centre, in southern Poland.
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The airport opened for civil aviation in 1964. The Balice airport was a military site until 28 February 1968. Four years later the first passenger terminal was built there. In 1988 the authorities decided to build a new terminal that was opened for public use in 1993. In 1995, the entire apron was modernized. In 1998 it was decided that Pope John Paul II would be the official patron of the airport. It was modernized once more in 2002, and since then new international connections have been established.
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 km (62 mi) of it. The airport also has a favorable 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, as well as 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 Germanwings, EasyJet, and Centralwings.
On 1 March 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).
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 jet ways being added and separate facilities prepared for Schengen and non-Schengen passengers.
A seven story parking garage opposite T1 became fully operational in May 2010.[3] It is also expected that the railway line will ultimately reach the terminal building, rather than the current temporary stop 250 m (820 ft) from terminal T1.
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo [begins 25 March 2012] | 1 |
| Aerosvit | Kiev-Boryspil [resumes 26 March 2012] | 1 |
| Aer Lingus | Dublin | 1 |
| Air Berlin | Berlin-Tegel [ends 2 June 2012], Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012] | 1 |
| Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways | Vienna | 1 |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels | 1 |
| Czech Airlines | Prague | 1 |
| EasyJet | Belfast-International, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 1 |
| Enter Air | Seasonal: Antalya, Fuerteventura, Phuket | 1 |
| EuroLOT | Gdańsk, Poznań, Szczecin | 2 |
| Finnair | Seasonal: Helsinki | 1 |
| Germanwings | Stuttgart | 1 |
| Iceland Express operated by Holidays Czech Airlines | Seasonal: Reykjavik-Keflavik | 1 |
| Jet2.com | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 1 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Frankfurt, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Warsaw | 1 |
| LOT Polish Airlines operated by EuroLOT | Warsaw | 2 |
| LOT Polish Airlines operated by EuroLOT | Vienna | 1 |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt | 1 |
| Lufthansa operated by Augsburg Airways | Munich | 1 |
| Lufthansa operated by Eurowings | Düsseldorf [begins 25 March 2012] | 1 |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine | Munich | 1 |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | Bergen, Copenhagen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stavanger, Stockholm-Arlanda [begins 30 March 2012] | 1 |
| Ryanair | Alicante, Billund [begins 22 March 2012], Bologna, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London-Stansted, Milan-Orio al Serio, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca [begins 25 March 2012], Paris-Beauvais, Rome-Ciampino, Oslo-Rygge, Stockholm-Skavsta Seasonal: Cagliari, Malaga, Malta, Pisa, Reus, Trapani |
1 |
| Trawel Fly | Seasonal: Naples | 1 |
| WOW air | Seasonal: Reykjavik-Keflavik [begins 12 June 2012] | 1 |
Figures in Millions
| Year | Passengers |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 0.593 |
| 2004 | 0.841 |
| 2005 | 1.586 |
| 2006 | 2.367 |
| 2007 | 3.068 |
| 2008 | 2.923 |
| 2009 | 2.680 |
| 2010 | 2.863 |
| 2011 | 3.014 |
The busiest international routes are to London (Stansted and Gatwick) and Munich.
In addition to road access by private car or taxi, other options are:
The "Balice Ekspres" operates between Kraków Główny (Main railway station) and the Kraków-Balice Airport railway station. It takes 18 minutes to get to the centre.
Public buses link the airport with the main railway station in Kraków (Kraków Główny) and the central bus station (Kraków Główny RDA).
The airport has one concrete runway, number 07/25, 2550 x 60 m. Runway 07 is open for landing only between sunrise and sunset.
On 28 August 2007, a Ryanair flight from Shannon suffered a bird strike on its final approach and blew its front tires 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.[4]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:John_Paul_II_International_Airport_Krak%C3%B3w-Balice John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice] at Wikimedia Commons