Kraków John Paul II International Airport

Airport in Balice, Poland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Paul II Kraków Balice International Airport (Polish: Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice) (IATA: KRK, ICAO: EPKK)) is an international airport located near Kraków, in the village of Balice, 11 km (6.8 mi) west[2] of the city centre, in southern Poland.

Airport typeMilitary/Public
OperatorJohn Paul II Krakow-Balice International Airport Ltd.
ServesKraków
LocationBalice, Poland
Quick facts John Paul II Kraków Balice International Airport, Summary ...
John Paul II Kraków Balice International Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
OperatorJohn Paul II Krakow-Balice International Airport Ltd.
ServesKraków
LocationBalice, Poland
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL241 m / 791 ft
Coordinates50°04′40″N 019°47′05″E
Websitekrakowairport.pl
Map
EPKK is located in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
EPKK
EPKK
Location in Lesser Poland Voivodeship
EPKK is located in Poland
EPKK
EPKK
EPKK (Poland)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
07/25 2,550 8,366 Concrete
07L/25R (emergency) 2,550 8,366 Grass
Statistics (2025)
Passenger volume13,248,355 (2025)[1]
Aircraft movements71,258 (2023)
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The airport is named after Pope John Paul II (1920–2005). It is the second-busiest airport of the country in terms of the volume of passengers served annually after Warsaw Chopin Airport. In 2024, it handled over 11 million passengers.[3]

History

Early years

Construction of the airport started in 1964. It opened for civil aviation in 1967,[4] 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.[4]

In 1988, the authorities decided to build a new terminal that was opened for public use in 1993. In 1995, the entire airport was modernized.[5]

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.[5] 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

A seven-storey parking garage opposite T1 became fully operational in May 2010.[6]

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.[7]

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 (62 mi) of it.[8] 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.[9]

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.[3]

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.[10]

Facilities

Terminal

Construction works of a new airport terminal began on 11 April 2013. The terminal was 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.[11]

Runway

The airport has one concrete runway, number 07/25, 2,550 m × 60 m (8,366 ft × 197 ft).

Airlines and destinations

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

More information Airlines, Destinations ...
AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens[12][13]
airBaltic Vilnius[14]
Air Arabia[15] Sharjah[16][15]
Air Dolomiti Munich[17]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[18][19]
Air Serbia Belgrade[20]
Austrian Airlines Vienna[21]
British Airways London–Heathrow[22]
Brussels Airlines Brussels[23]
Buzz[citation needed] Seasonal charter: Antalya, Burgas, Palma de Mallorca, Tirana, Varna, Zakynthos
easyJet Amsterdam,[24][25] Basel/Mulhouse,[26] Belfast–International,[27] Bristol,[26] Edinburgh,[28] Liverpool,[29] London–Gatwick,[30] Manchester,[31] Newcastle upon Tyne (begins 26 October 2026),[32] Paris–Charles de Gaulle[33]
Seasonal: Birmingham,[34] Geneva
Enter Air Seasonal charter: Antalya, Corfu, Heraklion, Marsa Alam[35]
Etihad Airways Seasonal: Abu Dhabi (begins 11 June 2026)[36]
Eurowings Düsseldorf[37]
Seasonal: Stuttgart[37]
Finnair Helsinki[38]
flydubai Dubai–International[39][40]
Flynas Seasonal: Riyadh[41]
Freebird Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[citation needed]
Jazeera Airways Seasonal: Kuwait City[42]
Jet2.com Birmingham,[43] Leeds/Bradford,[44] Manchester[45]
Seasonal: Belfast–International, East Midlands,[46] Glasgow, Liverpool, London–Stansted,[47] Newcastle upon Tyne
KLM Amsterdam[48]
LOT Polish Airlines Barcelona,[49] Chicago–O'Hare,[50][51] Istanbul,[52] Madrid,[49] Olsztyn-Mazury,[53] Paris–Orly,[54] Rome-Fiumicino,[49] Tel Aviv,[55] Warsaw–Chopin[56]
Seasonal: Bydgoszcz,[57] Gdańsk (begins 29 May 2026),[58] Newark[59]
Lufthansa Frankfurt,[60] Munich[60]
Luxair Luxembourg[61]
Norwegian Air Shuttle Bergen,[62] Copenhagen,[63] Oslo,[64] Stavanger,[65] Stockholm–Arlanda,[66] Trondheim[67]
Pegasus Airlines Ankara,[68] Antalya, İzmir[69]
Ryanair[70][71] Aberdeen,[72][73] Agadir,[26] Alicante,[26] Barcelona,[26] Bari,[26] Beauvais,[26] Belfast–International,[74] Bergamo,[26] Birmingham,[26] Bologna,[26] Bournemouth,[26] Bristol,[26] Bucharest–Băneasa,[75] Budapest,[76]Cagliari,[26] Catania,[26] Charleroi,[26] Copenhagen,[26] Dublin,[26] East Midlands,[26] Edinburgh,[77] Eindhoven,[26] Faro,[78] Fuerteventura,[79][80] Gdańsk,[26] Glasgow,[26] Gothenburg,[26] Gran Canaria,[26] Lamezia Terme,[26] Leeds/Bradford,[26] Lisbon,[26] Liverpool,[26] London–Luton,[26] London–Stansted,[77] Madrid,[26] Málaga,[26] Malta,[26] Manchester,[81] Marrakech,[82] Marseille,[26] Memmingen,[83] Milan–Malpensa,[84] Naples,[26] Newcastle upon Tyne,[26] Olbia,[85] Palermo,[26] Paphos,[26] Pescara,[26] Pisa,[26] Porto,[26] Prague,[80] Riga,[86] Rome–Ciampino,[26] Sandefjord,[26] Seville,[26] Shannon,[26] Sofia,[87] Stockholm–Arlanda,[26] Szczecin,[26] Tel Aviv (suspended),[88] Tenerife–South,[26] Thessaloniki,[26] Tirana,[89] Toulouse,[90] Treviso,[91] Trieste,[92] Valencia,[26] Vienna[26]
Seasonal: Amman–Queen Alia,[93] Ancona,[26] Athens,[26] Burgas,[26] Castellón,[94] Chania,[26] Corfu,[26] Dubrovnik,[95] Girona,[26] Lourdes,[96] Palma de Mallorca,[26] Perugia,[96] Podgorica,[26] Rhodes,[97] Rimini,[97] Santorini,[26] Turin,[80] Varna,[98] Zadar[26]
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen[99]
Smartwings Poland Seasonal charter: Antalya[100]
Sundor Tel Aviv[101]
SunExpress Antalya[102]
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich[103]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul[104]
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi,[105][106] Barcelona,[107] Basel/Mulhouse,[108] Bergen,[108] Bilbao,[109] Bucharest–Băneasa,[107][110] Budapest,[111] Eindhoven,[107] Genoa,[108] Larnaca,[107] London–Gatwick,[107] London–Luton,[107] Lyon,[107][112] Málaga,[107][113] Milan–Malpensa,[107] Nice,[107] Oslo,[107] Rome–Fiumicino,[107] Sofia,[114] Stavanger,[107] Tallinn,[109] Tel Aviv,[115] Valencia,[107][116] Venice,[117] Verona,[109] Vilnius[109]
Seasonal: Heraklion, Split, Tirana[118]
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Statistics

More information Rank, Airport ...
Busiest Routes from Kraków Airport (2024) [119]
RankAirportPassengersChange 2023 / 24
1. Frankfurt (FRA)390,537Increase 7,0%
2. London-Stansted (STN)352,935Increase 3,5%
3. Warsaw-Chopin (WAW)333,917Steady
4. Amsterdam (AMS)293,378Increase 46,0%
5. Oslo-Gardermoen (OSL)289,085Increase 2,0%
6. London-Luton (LTN)287,860Decrease 3,0%
7. Munich (MUC)263,034Increase 3,7%
8. London-Gatwick (LGW)261,244Increase 5,2%
9. Manchester (MAN)245,567Increase 28,5%
10. Bergamo (BGY)242,987Increase 26,0%
11. Barcelona–El Prat (BCN)235,599Increase 38,4%
12. Vienna (VIE)215,686Increase 1,9%
13. Eindhoven (EIN)212,022Increase 8,8%
14. Dublin (DUB)208,302Increase 9,1%
15. Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)202,062Increase 11,3%
16. Copenhagen (CPH)169,278Increase 40,4%
17. Sandefjord (TRF)167,723Increase 6,5%
18. Antalya (AYT)167,676Increase 50,6%
19. Rome-Ciampino165,489Increase 20,8%
20. Edinburgh (EDI)163,163Increase 20,3%
21. Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN)160,442Decrease 4,2%
22. Bristol (BRS)155,264Increase 45,0%
23. Milan-Malpensa (MXP)152,991Increase 57,4%
24. Birmingham (BHX)151,123Increase 18,7%
25. Dubai (DXB)149,732Increase 32,5%
26. Beauvais (BVA)145,454Increase 51,4%
27. Rome-Fiumicino (FCO)136,654Increase 42,0%
28. Leeds Bradford (LBA)133,984Decrease 9,6%
29. Brussels-Charleroi (CRL)133,783Increase 8,2%
30. Málaga (AGP)125,786Increase 41,1%
31. Helsinki (HEL)116,258Increase 82,3%
32. Istanbul (IST)107,634Increase 134,5%
33. Malta (MLA)105,817Increase 97,2%
34. Tirana (TIA)102,399New entry
35. Thessaloniki (SKG)102,103Increase 57,5%
36. Alicante (ALC)101,158Increase 19,3%
37. Valencia (VLC)100,666Increase 82,2%
38. Stavanger (SVG)96,111Increase 8,6%
39. Tel Aviv (TLV)96,062Decrease 32,1%
40. Zurich (ZRH)95,458Increase 32,7%
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More information Year, Passenger Count ...
Annual traffic [120]
YearPassenger CountPercent Change
2003593,214
2004841,123Increase 42%
20051,586,130Increase 89%
20062,367,257Increase 49%
20073,068,199Increase 30%
20082,923,961Decrease 5%
20092,680,322Decrease 8%
20102,863,996Increase 7%
20113,014,060Increase 5%
20123,439,758Increase 14%
20133,647,616Increase 6%
20143,817,792Increase 5%
20154,221,171Increase 11%
20164,983,645Increase 18%
20175,835,189Increase 17%
20186,769,369Increase 17%
20198,410,817Increase 24%
20202,592,972Decrease 69%
20213,072,074Increase 18%
20227,394,176Increase 140%
20239,404,611Increase 27%
202411,080,830Increase 17,8%
202513,248,355Increase 19.6%
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PassengersYear02,000,0004,000,0006,000,0008,000,00010,000,00012,000,000197019801990200020102020PassengersAnnual passenger traffic

It was the 50th busiest airport in Europe in 2024 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

Train at "Krakow Lotnisko" station

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,[121] and further 20 minutes to Wieliczka (for Salt Mine).

More information Railway line 118 ...
Railway line 118
Legend
91 ↑ Medyka
Kraków Główny
Kraków Towarowy
Kraków Łobzów
junction Kraków Łobzów
Kraków Mydlniki
Kraków Młynówka
Kraków Zakliki
Kraków Olszanica
Kraków PKN Orlen
A 4
Kraków Lotnisko
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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.

Military usage

The aerodrome includes a military area, on its South side, which hosts the 8. Baza Lotnictwa Transportowego of the Polish Air Force, flying transport aircraft like the EADS CASA C-295

See also

References

External links

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