Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport ( pl, Katowice Airport im. Wojciecha Korfantego) is an international airport, located in

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 ...

, north of Katowice,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. The airport has the 4th-biggest annual passenger flow in Poland.It is also the second biggest airport in the country in terms of

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

traffic. It operates a variety of charter, regular and cargo flights.

Long-haul flights In aviation, the flight length refers to the distance of a flight. Commercial flights are often categorized into long-, medium- or short-haul by commercial airlines based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition and ...

are operated from Katowice to Varadero in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

and

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

and to Puerto Plata as well as

Punta Cana Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic. It is part of the Veron–Punta Cana municipal district, in the Higüey municipality of La Altagracia Province. According to the 2010 census, this district had a ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

by LOT's Boeing 787s Dreamliner. The airport has the tallest Air Traffic Control Tower and the second longest

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

. Katowice Airport is the Poland's only airport with more than one passenger terminal and the airport with the biggest number of based

airlines An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in whic ...

. The Katowice Airport serves the most industrialised region in Poland, one of the most urbanised areas of Europe. 13 million inhabitants are estimated to live within 100 km of Katowice Airport. This is a larger catchment area than many airports in Europe.

History

Early years

The current location of Katowice Airport was initially used by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s. In 1940, the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. The Germans built three stone and concrete airstrips, with runway lengths varying from 1,000 to 1,500 meters, all of which around 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for handling of military aircraft flying from the inner part of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...

, carrying supplies to

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

on the Eastern Front. In the final phase of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as ...

rocket-powered aircraft were tested here. Following General Ernst Udet's (a Luftwaffe

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

) death in 1941, the airfield was named ''Udetfeld''. From 1945 to 1951, Soviet soldiers were stationed at the airbase. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airbase over to the Polish Air Force. It was then used by the 39th Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951. A new runway was built in 1964. Soon after, the airbase Pyrzowice became host to its first-ever regular passenger traffic, when on 6 October 1966, the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines took off for Warsaw. By the end of 1969, a small passenger terminal was built (550 m²), together with a taxiway and an apron. This runway has since been replaced by a new adjacent one (3,200m), completed in May 2015.

Development since the 1990s

In 1991, Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (GTL) (English: Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was created. On 27 March 1993, the German carrier Lufthansa flew to

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...

, thus inaugurating the first international service. Passenger Terminal B officially opened in 2007, followed by (arrivals only) Terminal C, in 2015. Future plans include the construction of a completely new passenger terminal, a further expansion of the recently built cargo terminal, and a new railway connection. On 3 October 2018, the airport celebrated 4 million passengers travelling through Katowice in a single year.

Facilities

Terminals

The

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

features three passenger terminals A, B (departures) and C (arrivals) as well as a cargo terminal. Operations at terminal B, much bigger than A, started on 30 July 2007. Terminals are capable of handling about 8.0 million passengers annually. Terminal A handles all non-

Schengen The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...

departure flights, while Terminal B handles all

departure flights. The operation of the newest Terminal C building (arrivals) started on 27 June 2015. This terminal handles all arrival flights from non-

and

zones. Terminal B (departures to Schengen area) is under renovation (2019-2021) and is going to become one of the most modern terminals in Europe. The longest airport observation deck in Europe was able to be found inside the previous version of Terminal B. Terminal

Cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

is located at the east of the airport and is one of the newest cargo terminals in the World. New passenger Terminal D is under planning such as new Cargo Terminal and Cargo City. New Terminal D will be equipped with jetways etc. There is a chance for Kiss&fly zone and VIP Terminal in the future.

Runway and apron

The airport's concrete

is 3200m by 45m, oriented 8 and 26, and can accommodate aircraft as large as Boeing 747 or

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...

, albeit not at

MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...

. Heavy transports such as

Antonov An-124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, , Ruslan; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrain ...

An-225 The Antonov An-225 Mriya ( uk, Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, lit=dream' or 'inspiration; NATO reporting name: Cossack) was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was o ...

have been noted to land there on occasions. The airport uses new generation

Instrument Landing System In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...

, a

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...

420 system. The runway at Katowice Airport is the second longest runway in Poland, behind Warsaw Chopin's runway 15/33. 33 new aircraft stands are under construction as of now. They will be located between taxiways E (Echo) and H (Hotel), to the west from main apron, between main and cargo apron and to the east from cargo apron. The airport has two plane spotter stands, one at the western end of the airport's runway. The platforms are free to access.

Air traffic control tower

The new ATC tower has been already built. It is the tallest ATC in Poland and in Eastern Europe, at 46 meters height.

Hotel

A "Moxy by Marriott" hotel has been built recently, and is now ready to accept guests. It is located right next to the main parking entrance (P1), very close to the terminals. A direct bridge connection to the terminals is also planned.

Car parks

There are three main car parks at Katowice International Airport. P1, P2 and P3. P1 is the nearest parking connected direct with terminals. P2 is located to the east to P1. P3 is next to P2 and it is a guarded car park. There is a lot of private car parks next to the airport. The airport offers 3922 own parking spaces. There is also Premium Parking at Katowice International Airport. P1 will be expanded to 1842 parking spaces by January 2019. It will be expanded to the west.

Maintenance

At the airport are two main active maintenance buildings. The first serves mainly

Wizz Air Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...

's aircraft, and the modern one belongs to Linetech and serving all other airlines. The second building is serving mainly Embraer's aircraft from all over the World.
Wizz Air's new maintenance hangar is under construction and is going to be ready in the end of 2021. The building will be operated only by

and will be serving

Airbus A321neo The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...

aircraft.
Due to the great conditions of the airport (long

, huge three airport aprons, many stands), Katowice Airport is home to 9 based

. This is the biggest number of based airlines in

East-Central Europe East Central Europe is the region between Germanic, West Slavic, and Hungarian-speaking Europe and the East Slavic countries of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Those lands are described as situated "between two": "between two worlds, between tw ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Katowice:

Cargo

Statistics

Wing view before departure with Terminal B

Passenger figures

The most frequent scheduled routes

The busiest routes

Ground transportation

By car

The airport is accessible to/from Katowice and other cities of the region like Częstochowa,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Opole,

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...

, Kielce,

Oświęcim Oświęcim (; german: Auschwitz ; yi, אָשפּיצין, Oshpitzin) is a city in the Lesser Poland ( pl, Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rive ...

Tychy Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Tichau; szl, Tychy) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city boders Katowice to the north, ...

via Expressway S1, national road 86, A4 motorway, national road 94, national road 78 and

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

. The airport is also served by

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), packa ...

and iTaxi. The airport offers 3,922 parking spaces. There is also premium parking at Katowice International Airport. Car rentals are available.

By bus

* MetropoliaZTM is the public transport operator in this area. It operates lines to nearby cities. AP goes directly to Katowice, it stops only at a few stops in Katowice (45min to the main railway station). M11 is a slower bus to Katowice (70min) via Sączów, Wojkowice, Siemianowice Śląskie. M14 to Gliwice via Tarnowskie Góry. M19 to Sosnowiec via Będzin. M116/M16 are direct buses to Gliwice via Piekary Śląskie, Bytom and Zabrze (note: its number changes in Piekary Śląskie). A one-way ticket is 6,60PLN (for 90min with unlimited changes or for the whole route of the bus). A 40-minute ticket costs 5,60PLN. You can also buy tickets using mobile apps. There is a group ticket for 5 people for 13PLN (for 90min with changes or for the whole route of the bus). A one-day ticket day is 12PLN (valid until midnight). There is also a 24 hour ticket for 24PLN, this ticket also allows you to travel in regional (commuter) trains in the area. * Flixbus connects Katowice International Airport with Katowice,

, Częstochowa, Chorzów or Bytom. * Matuszek bus corporation connects Katowice Airport with Katowice city centre and

city centre. *P-Air PyrzowiceEkspres.pl (official WizzAir's carrier) connects the airport with

and Częstochowa. * Leo Express connects the airport with

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four riv ...

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; szl, Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is ...

and

Bohumín Bohumín (; ; pl, , german: Oderberg) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Bohumín is made up of town parts and villages of Nový Bohumín, ...

direct from the airport. *Bus connections from other largest cities of the region, such as

, Częstochowa and minibus - inter alia from/to Opole,"''Dojazd, Airport Katowice''"
- ''www.airport-lotnisko.katowice.pl''
- ''www.elotnicze.pl''

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

are also available. Local buses connect to the city of Bytom where one can change for bus to Katowice. Bus stops are next to Terminal C and Terminal B. They are about 10 metres from the terminal entrance.

By rail

There is currently no passenger rail link to the airport, although construction of a new railway connection has begun recently, in 2021. There will be new railway routes from

Siewierz Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz. History Siewierz was first mentioned in 1125, and was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II of Poland grante ...

and

Tarnowskie Góry Tarnowskie Góry (German: ''Tarnowitz''; szl, Tarnowske Gōry) is a town in Silesia, southern Poland, located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice. On the south it borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a megalopolis, the greater Si ...

to Katowice International Airport. Both of the two connections currently being built will allow for either direct, or indirect passenger traffic between Katowice main railway station and the adjacent cities of the GZM (Silesian urban area) and serve the airport's passengers on a daily basis.

Accidents and incidents

* On 27 October 2007, a

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

chartered by the UN 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. * On 12 March 2013, Travel Service Flight 7137, a

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

, overran the runway while landing in snowy weather just before 19:00, its nose wheel getting stuck approximately 3 feet deep into the soft ground 20 metres beyond the runway. None of the 176 passengers and 6 crew suffered any injuries, but the airport was closed until 17:00 the next day until the aircraft was recovered and taxied away. * On 5 July 2014 Lufthansa Flight 1360, operated by

Lufthansa Cityline Lufthansa CityLine GmbH is a German airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Munich Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and maintains hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, from where it operates a dense domestic ...

landed on the new runway, then under construction. No passengers ended up injured, and the aircraft later made a technical flight to land on the original runway, as the new runway still had not been joined by taxiways to the taxiway system.

References

External links

Official website

Service Platform for the Katowice Airport passengers, co-financed by the European Union
* * {{authority control Airports in Poland Buildings and structures in Katowice Transport in Katowice