Kraków John Paul II International Airport
Kraków John Paul II International Airport Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | John Paul II Krakow-Balice International Airport Ltd. | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Kraków | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Balice, Poland | ||||||||||||||
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| Elevation AMSL | 241 m / 791 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°04′40″N 019°47′05″E / 50.07778°N 19.78472°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | krakowairport.pl | ||||||||||||||
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  EPKK Location in Lesser Poland Voivodeship  EPKK EPKK (Poland) | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
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Kraków John Paul II International Airport (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[2] of the city centre, in southern Poland.
The airport is named after Pope John Paul II. It is the second-busiest airport of the country in terms of the volume of passengers served annually after Warsaw Chopin Airport. In 2023, it handled over 9.4 million passengers.[1]
History
[edit]Early years
[edit]Construction of the airport started in 1964. It opened for civil aviation in 1967,[3] and was a military site until 28 February 1968. Four years later, the first passenger terminal was built there.
In the 1970s, the airport saw further development, which included an increase in the length of the runway by 400 meters, the construction of taxiways, and the installation of high intensity runway lights.[3]
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.[4]
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 was born in relatively nearby Wadowice and had spent many years of his life in Kraków, including serving as Archbishop of Kraków from 1963 until his elevation to the Papacy in 1978.[4] For marketing reasons, the official name was further "streamlined" on 4 September 2007 as Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II.
Development since the 2000s
[edit]The airport was modernized once more in 2002, and since then new international connections have been established.
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 landing fees.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
On 1 March 2007, a separate domestic terminal (T2) was opened. At that time, plans were underway to begin the construction of a new terminal.
A seven-storey parking garage opposite T1 became fully operational in May 2010.[5]
On 12 December 2012, Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announced it would be opening its second Polish base in Kraków basing two Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the airport from 31 March 2013, which allows the carrier to increase the number of the routes from Kraków to 31.[6]
Kraków Airport is the second busiest airport in the country after Warsaw Chopin Airport. The airport has good growth prospects, as almost 8 million people live within 100 km (62 mi) of it.[7] The airport also has a favorable location on the network of existing and planned motorways in this region of Poland. In 2021, Ryanair announced a US$800 million investment plan into Kraków and its airport expected to bring more than 400 direct jobs for pilots, flight crews, and ground staff along with 3500 indirect jobs.[8]
In 2023, the airport handled over 9.4 million passengers becoming the first regional airport in Poland to pass the 9 million threshold in terms of the number of passengers served annually. It collaborated with 25 traditional and low-cost airlines offering 161 flight connections to 123 airports located in 113 cities in 35 countries.[1]
In 2024, the airport authorities announced a plan to build a new terminal for the airport due to the inadequate capacity of the terminal opened in 2016.[9]
Facilities
[edit]Terminal
[edit]11 April 2013 saw the beginning of construction works of a new airport terminal, which is adjacent to the existing old terminal building. The works on the new terminal were completed in December 2016. The terminal serves all-year-round, 24 hours a day, both domestic as well as international flights. The expected maximum capacity of the terminal is up to 8 million passengers handled in a year (over twice as much as the airport served in 2012). It is also possible to handle transfer passengers irrespective of the routes (Schengen/Non-Schengen destinations). The terminal has a new luggage handling system and a roofed footbridge connecting the terminal to a hotel, a multi-level parking lot and the railway station, with direct railway link to Kraków Główny by Koleje Małopolskie.[10]
Runway
[edit]The airport has one concrete runway, number 07/25, 2,550 m × 60 m (8,366 ft × 197 ft).
Airlines and destinations
[edit]The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Kraków Airport:
Statistics
[edit]
| Year | Passenger Count | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 593,214 | |
| 2004 | 841,123 |  42%
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| 2005 | 1,586,130 | 89%
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| 2006 | 2,367,257 | 49%
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| 2007 | 3,068,199 | 30%
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| 2008 | 2,923,961 |  5%
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| 2009 | 2,680,322 | 8%
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| 2010 | 2,863,996 | 7%
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| 2011 | 3,014,060 | 5%
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| 2012 | 3,439,758 | 14%
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| 2013 | 3,647,616 | 6%
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| 2014 | 3,817,792 | 5%
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| 2015 | 4,221,171 | 11%
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| 2016 | 4,983,645 | 18%
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| 2017 | 5,835,189 | 17%
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| 2018 | 6,769,369 | 17%
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| 2019 | 8,410,817 | 24%
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| 2020 | 2,592,972 | 69%
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| 2021 | 3,072,074 | 18%
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| 2022 | 7,394,176 | 140%
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| 2023 | 9,404,611 | 27%
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| 2024 (Jan-Jun) |
5,100,471 | 16,7%
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 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
It was the 63rd busiest airport in Europe in 2019 and had the greatest increase in passengers in all of Europe in 2019 with a 24.2% passenger increase in 2019 compared to 2018.
Ground transportation
[edit]
In addition to road access by private car or taxi, other options are:
Train
[edit]The SKA1 suburban line operates from the Airport to Kraków Główny (Main railway station) and further to Wieliczka. The service resumed in September 2015. It takes about 17 minutes to get to the city centre,[60] and further 20 minutes to Wieliczka (for Salt Mine).
Railway line 118 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bus
[edit]Public buses link the airport during the day and during the night with the main railway and bus station in Kraków (Kraków Główny railway station) and the ICE Congress Centre.
Military usage
[edit]The aerodrome includes a military area, on its South side, which hosts the 8. Baza Lotnictwa Transportowego of the Polish Air Force, flying transport aircraft like the EADS CASA C-295
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Monthly Statistics Kraków Airport". polskieradio24.pl (in Polish). 9 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "EAD Basic". Ead.eurocontrol.int. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- ^ a b "Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Kraków - Balice. 50 lat – 32 miliony pasażerów". interia.pl (in Polish). 28 February 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Historia spółki". krakowairport.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Na lotnisku w Krakowie powstaje wielopoziomowy parking" (in Polish). www.2012.org.pl. 2009-12-18. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
- ^ "Ryanair announces its 53rd base – Krakow". centreforaviation.com. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Kraków Airport development plan to create 10,000 additional jobs". airport-business.com. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Ajinka Gurav (26 April 2022). "Ryanair Announces $800m Investment into Krakow With New Routes". aviationsourcenews.com. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Maksymilian Tokarczyk (3 January 2024). "Będzie nowy terminal pasażerski na krakowskim lotnisku. "Przed nami wiele miesięcy prac budowlanych"". eska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Lotnisko Kraków: Symbolicznie zakończyła się rozbudowa i modernizacja terminalu pasażerskiego". infolotnicze.pl (in Polish). 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Hubert Choroszewski. "Nowa trasa z Krakowa! Polecimy linią Aegean do Aten!" (in Polish). fly4free.pl. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ Piotr Golianek. "Kraków: Aegean tylko latem" (in Polish). pasazer.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Dolande, Rainer Nieves (29 August 2023). "airBaltic launches 11 new routes for the summer season 2024". Aviacionline.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ a b https://www.airarabia.com/en/g9-shj-krk-6feb24 [bare URL]
- ^ "AIR DOLOMITI ASSUMES ADDITIONAL LUFTHANSA MUNICH SERVICE IN 2Q23". 13 April 2023.
- ^ "Air France wylądował w #KrakowAirport". krakow airport. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Air Serbia to launch New Service to Krakow, Ohrid and Varna for Summer 2023". 16 December 2022.
- ^ Piotr Bożyk. "British Airways powraca do Krakowa" (in Polish). pasazer.com. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Brussels Airlines wraca do Krakowa". 7 December 2022.
- ^ https://www.goedkoopvliegenclub.nl/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/easyjet-krakow-holidays-go-year-round-from-belfast [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/nowa-trasa-easyjet-z-krakowa-polecimy-do-birmngham/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Flydubai to begin flights to Krakow, Catania in 2018". 6 December 2017.
- ^ Piotrowski, Mateusz (8 May 2024). "Nowa egzotyczna trasa i nowa linia z Krakowa! Kolejny kierunek na Bliskim Wschodzie". Fly4free.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Jet2's new Xmas Market route for Winter from East Midlands Airport". Derbyshirelive. 23 November 2022 – via www.derbytelegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Liu, Jim (19 October 2020). "PLL LOT zawieszą regularne połączenie Kraków-Chicago". routesonline.com.
- ^ "Nie żartowali! Nowa trasa LOT do Stambułu. Ale nie z Katowic, tylko z Krakowa!".
- ^ "LOT Polish Airlines is expanding its route network from the Olsztyn-Mazury airport". tanie-loty.com.pl. 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ "Nowe połączenie krajowe. Lot potrwa godzinę". 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Pasazer.com: LOT poleci z Krakowa do Newark". Pasazer.com.
- ^ "Pasazer.com: Luxair poleci z Krakowa do Luksemburga". Pasazer.com.
- ^ "Pegasus Airlines Adds Izmir – Krakow Service In NW24". AeroRoutes. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Loga-Sowiński, Krzysztof (7 July 2022). "Pasazer.com: Ryanair poleci z Gdańska i Krakowa do Belfastu". Pasazer.com (in Polish). Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ aerotelegraph.com - "New Ryanair summer routes from Memmingen" (German) 17 November 2022
- ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/2-nowe-trasy-ryanaira-na-to-duze-lotnisko-jeszcze-nigdy-nie-latali-z-polski/ [bare URL]
- ^ a b Dybiński, Rafał (8 June 2022). "Nowe połączenia Ryanaira z Polski. Zimą loty z Krakowa do Poznania (aktualizacja)". www.rynek-lotniczy.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Investēs miljonus: "Ryanair" nāk klajā ar paziņojumu par vērienīgiem plāniem Rīgā". LA.LV.
- ^ "17 nowych tras Ryanaira, w tym 2 z Polski! To zupełna nowość - do tego kraju jeszcze nie latali".
- ^ https://centreforaviation.com/news/ryanair-resuming-krakow-amman-service-from-late-oct-2024-1263586 [bare URL]
- ^ a b c "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
- ^ "EKSKLUZIVNO! Ryanair će Dubrovnik povezati sa 17 odredišta, prema Dublinu, Beču i Londonu će letjeti i zimi". 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Ryanair wznawia hitową trasę z Polski! Znów polecimy do bajecznej Portugalii".
- ^ "Ryanair".
- ^ a b "11 nowych tras Ryanaira z Polski! Kilka z nich to absolutne hity".
- ^ "Ryanair per la prima volta a Olbia, 10 collegamenti estivi - Notizie - Ansa.it". 31 January 2024.
- ^ a b "2 nowe wakacyjne trasy Ryanaira z Polski! Jedna wraca po krótkiej przerwie".
- ^ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240716-frns24
- ^ "Pasazer.com: Ryanair poleci z Krakowa nad Morze Czarne". Pasazer.com.
- ^ "Sun d'Or Tentatively Schedules Krakow Dec 2023 Service Resumptions". AeroRoutes. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/3-nowe-trasy-wizz-aira-z-polski-sa-wlochy-hiszpania-i-absolutny-debiut-z-poludnia-kraju/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/3-nowe-trasy-wizz-aira-z-polski-sa-wlochy-hiszpania-i-absolutny-debiut-z-poludnia-kraju/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Wizz Air apre nuove rotte. Heviz sul Lago Balaton e un nuovo scalo". 25 March 2022.
- ^ "Wizz Air uruchamia nowe połączenia z Polski do Werony i Malagi". 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Wizz Air Flights to Operate Again between Budapest and Tel Aviv". Hungary Today. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ https://www.fly4free.pl/3-nowe-trasy-wizz-aira-z-polski-sa-wlochy-hiszpania-i-absolutny-debiut-z-poludnia-kraju/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Wizz Air Announces Ten New Routes from Albania".
- ^ "Eurostat Transport Database".
- ^ "UK CAA Data and analysis".
- ^ "Statystyki".
- ^ "By train". Krakow Airport. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
External links
[edit]
Media related to John Paul II Airport in Balice-Kraków at Wikimedia Commons
- Airport website (in English and Polish)
- John Paul II International Airport, Krakow, Poland
