Kraków John Paul II International Airport

Kraków John Paul II International Airport (Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II since 4 September 2007; earlier in Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków–Balice) is an international airport located near Kraków, in the village of Balice, 11 km west 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.

Early years
Construction of the airport started in 1964. It opened for civil aviation in 1967, 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.

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.

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. For marketing reasons, the official name was further "streamlined" on 4 September 2007 as ''Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II''.

Development since the 2000s
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. 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.

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.

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.

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 of it. 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.

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.

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.

Terminal
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.

Runway
The airport has one concrete runway, number 07/25, 2550 x.

Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Kraków Airport:

Statistics
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
In addition to road access by private car or taxi, other options are:

Train
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, and further 20 minutes to Wieliczka (for Salt Mine).

Bus
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.