Katowice Airport

Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport (Katowice Airport im. Wojciecha Korfantego) is an international airport, located in Pyrzowice, 30 km north of Katowice, Poland. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Poland by passenger volumes, with 5.6 million passengers in 2023. It is also the second-busiest airport in the country by cargo volume and the largest origin of charter flights in Poland.

Early years
The current location of Katowice Airport was initially used by the German air force. In 1940, the Luftwaffe began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. Three stone and concrete airstrips were built, with the runway lengths varying between 1,000 to 1,500 meters, and around 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for handling of military aircraft flying from the inner part of the German Reich, carrying supplies to troops on the Eastern Front.In the final phase of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket-powered aircraft were tested here. Following General Ernst Udet's (a Luftwaffe flying ace) death in 1941, the airfield was named Udetfeld.

After the Red Army's advance in early 1945, the Soviet air forces gained the control of the airfield. 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 first-ever regular passenger traffic started, with a LOT Polish Airlines place taking off for Warsaw on October 6m 1966. 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This runway has since been replaced by a new adjacent one (3,200m), completed in May 2015.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 (The Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was established and in 1994, it became the operator of Pyrzowice Airport. International service from Pyrzowice commenced on March 27, 1993, when Lufthansa started its daily service to Frankfurt Airport.

Poland's admission to the European Union has supercharged airport's growth. The Hungarian low-cost airline WizzAir chose Katowice for its first base, with their inaugural flight taking off for London Luton. Other low-cost airlines, as well as charter airlines, followed. In 2007, a second terminal (Terminal B) for Schengen flights opened, and in 2015 an arrivals-only Terminal C was completed. Also in 2015, a new runway, which is the second-longest runway in Poland at 3,200 meters, was completed.

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.

Terminals
There are three passenger terminals: A (non-Schengen departures), B (Schengen departures), and C (all arrivals), as well as a cargo terminal. Terminal B has been completed in 2007 and underwent a major expansion in 2019-21. Altogether, terminals at Katowice Airport are capable of handling about 8.0 million passengers annually.

In 2024, the airport's owner announced plans for another airport expansion which would allow Katowice Airport to handle up to 12 million passengers per year and double cargo volumes by 2028.

Runway and apron
The airport's concrete runway is 3200m by 45m, oriented 8 and 26, and can accommodate aircraft as large as Boeing 747 or Boeing 777, albeit not at MTOW. Heavy transports such as Antonov An-124 or An-225 have been noted to land there on occasions. The airport uses new generation Instrument Landing System, a Thales 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.

Aircraft maintenance facilities
Wizz Air, which has a base at the airport, is the primary operator of two maintenance buildings at Katowice Airport and services their Airbus A321neo fleet there. Linetech, an aircraft maintenance contractor, operates two other buildings and services Embraer E190 jets.

Other facilities
The airport owns three parking lots with 4,348 parking spaces in total. Parking lots P1 and P2 (948 spaces) are located right next to the terminal and focused on shorter-term parking while parking lot P3 is located further away and dedicated to long-term parking. A free shuttle runs from parking lot P3 to the terminals. There are also multiple other, privately-owned parking lots near the airport. In 2023, a train station with limited train service has been opened.

There is also a Moxy Hotel, a brand by Marriott International, located right next to the main parking entrance (P1).

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

By car
The airport is accessible to/from Katowice and other cities of the region like Częstochowa, Kraków, Opole, Gliwice, Kielce, Oświęcim, Tychy via Expressway S1, national road 86, A4 motorway, national road 94, national road 78 and A1 motorway. The airport is also served by taxis, Uber and iTaxi. The airport offers 3,922 parking spaces. There is also premium parking at Katowice International Airport. Car rentals are available.

By bus
There is also a 24 hour ticket for 24PLN, this ticket also allows you to travel in regional (commuter) trains in the area.
 * 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).
 * Flixbus connects Katowice International Airport with Katowice, Kraków, Częstochowa, Chorzów or Bytom.
 * Matuszek bus corporation connects Katowice Airport with Katowice city centre and Kraków city centre.
 * P-Air PyrzowiceEkspres.pl (official WizzAir's carrier) connects the airport with Kraków and Częstochowa.
 * Leo Express connects the airport with Ostrava, Rybnik, Gliwice and Bohumín direct from the airport.
 * Bus connections from other largest cities of the region, such as Kraków, Częstochowa and minibus - inter alia from/to Opole, Wrocław  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 and Tarnowskie Góry 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 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, 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 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.