Katowice International Airport Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Katowice-Pyrzowice
Terminal B at the Katowice International
IATA: KTW – ICAO: EPKT
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner/Operator		Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze - GTL (Upper Silesian Aviation Group)
Serves		Katowice
Location		Pyrzowice
Hub for		LOT Polish Airlines Wizz Air Enter Air
Elevation AMSL		304 m / 304 metres (997 ft) ft
Coordinates		50°28′27″N 019°04′48″E / 50.47417°N 19.08°E / 50.47417; 19.08 (Katowice International Airport)Coordinates: 50°28′27″N 019°04′48″E / 50.47417°N 19.08°E / 50.47417; 19.08 (Katowice International Airport)
Website		www.katowice-airport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
09/27	2,800	9,186	Concrete
Statistics (2008)
Number of Passengers			2,426,942 (+21,59% from 2007)
Aircraft Movements			27,030 (+10,37% from 2007)
Sources: Polish AIP at EUROCONTROL Statistics from Office of Civil Aviation

Katowice International Airport (Polish: Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Katowice-Pyrzowice) (IATA: KTW, ICAO: EPKT) is an international airport, located in Pyrzowice, 30 km (19 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 2,800 by 60 m (9,186 by 197 ft) 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.

History

The place where the Katowice International Airport is now located, was first used by German soldiers. In 1940 the Luftwaffe began construction of the airport in the meadows around the Pyrzowice. Germans built three stone and concrete strips with a length of runway from 1000 to 1500 meters and 50 meters wide. Airport were used for the handling of military aircraft, flying from the inner part of the Nazi Germany 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, Red Army's soldiers stationed at the airport. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airport the Polish Army. It was then used by the 39 Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951. Airports Pyrzowice the first time made available for passenger 6 October 1966, when the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines, took 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 was created Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (GTL) (English: Upper Silesian Aviation Group). In 27 March 1993 German carrier Lufthansa flew to Frankfurt, thus inaugurating the first international call. Passenger Terminal B, officially opened on 30 July 2007. International Airport in Katowice is constantly developing. Future plans to extend the runway, construction of a third passenger terminal and 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-Schengen 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:

Waiting room in terminal A

Terminal B - Lobby seen from upper level

Observation deck

Additionally, a broad range of charter airlines operate to and from the airport, including:

Cargo airlines

Access to the airport

By car

In 2006 express road S1 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.

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 Station and stops near Qubus Hotel Katowice, 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.

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:

Accidents and Incidents

• On 27 October 2007, a Boeing 737-800 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.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.