Contents

Katowice Airport

Airport in Pyrzowice

Katowice International Airport Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Katowice
File:Katowice airport logo.jpg
Terminal B at the Katowice International
IATA: KTW ICAO: EPKT Katowice Location of airport in Poland
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 19.08000°E / 50.47417; 19.08000 (Katowice International Airport)
Website	www.katowice-airport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 2,800 9,186 Concrete
Statistics (2010)
Number of passengers 2,403,253 Aircraft movements 26,770
Sources: Polish AIPatEUROCONTROL[1] Statistics from Office of Civil Aviation[2]

Katowice International Airport (Polish: Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Katowice) (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 747orBoeing 777, albeit not at Maximum Takeoff Weight.^[3] Heavy transports such as Antonov An-124orAn-225 have been noticed to land there. The airport uses new generation Instrument Landing System - Thales 420.^[4]

The place where the Katowice International Airport is now located, was first used by German soldiers. In 1940 the Luftwaffe began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. The Germans built three stone and concrete strips with a length of runway from 1000 to 1500 meters and 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for the handling of military aircraft, flying from the inner part of the German Reich 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, Soviet Army's soldiers were stationed at the airbase. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airbase the Polish Air Force. It was then used by the 39 Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951. The airbase Pyrzowice the first time made available as a passenger airport 6 October 1966, when the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines, taking 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 Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (GTL) (English: Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was created . In 27 March 1993 the German carrier Lufthansa flew to Frankfurt, thus inaugurating the first international service. Passenger Terminal B officially opened on 30 July 2007. Katowice International Airport is constantly developing. Future plans to extend the runway, the construction of a third passenger terminal, a new and biggest CARGO TERMINAL and a new runway.^[5]

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.^[6] 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:

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

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 motorwayornational road 94. The airport is also accessible by national road 78 and A1 motorway is under construction nearby.

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 Altus Building, Novotel Katowice and in Sosnowiec (Milowice Shopping Center).^[9] 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),^[10] Częstochowa^[11] and minibus - inter alia from/to Opole,^[12][13] Wrocław^[12][13] are also available.

There is currently no passenger rail link to airport but building of a railway between Katowice and the airport is being planned.^[14]

Following are the official airport annual traffic levels:^[15]

• On 27 October 2007, a Boeing 737-800 chartered by the UN destroyed dozens of approach and landing lights whilst making a low approach.^[16] No passengers were injured, but the approach lights were out of service for three weeks.

• Katowice-Muchowiec Airport

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport.

• Official airport transfers website Template:En icon Template:De icon Template:Fr icon Template:Cs icon Template:Uk icon Template:Pl icon
• Official website Template:En icon Template:De icon Template:Fr icon Template:Cs icon Template:Uk icon Template:Pl icon
• Service Platform for the Katowice Airport passengers, co-financed by the European Union Template:Pl icon
• Current weather for EPKTatNOAA/NWS
• Accident history for KTWatAviation Safety Network