| Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport | |
| Nativename: | Katowice Airport im. Wojciecha Korfantego |
| Image2-Width: | 250 |
| Iata: | KTW |
| Icao: | EPKT |
| Pushpin Map: | Silesian Voivodeship#Poland |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Silesian Voivodeship |
| Pushpin Label: | KTW |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Type: | Public |
| Operator: | GTL Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (Upper Silesian Aviation Group) |
| Focus City: | |
| City-Served: | |
| Location: | Pyrzowice, Poland |
| Elevation-F: | 997 |
| Elevation-M: | 304 |
| Website: | katowice-airport.com |
| Metric-Elev: | yes |
| Metric-Rwy: | yes |
| R1-Number: | 08/26 |
| R1-Length-F: | 10,499 |
| R1-Length-M: | 3,200 |
| R1-Surface: | Concrete |
| Stat-Year: | 2023[3] |
| Stat1-Header: | Number of passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 5,609,022[4] |
| Stat2-Header: | Passenger change 22-23 |
| Stat2-Data: | 26,9% |
| Stat3-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat3-Data: | 45 167[5] |
| Stat4-Header: | Movements change 22-23 |
| Stat4-Data: | 12,6% |
| Stat5-Header: | Cargo (tonnes) |
| Stat5-Data: | 26,161[6] |
| Footnotes: | Sources: Polish AIP at EUROCONTROL[7] Statistics from Office of Civil Aviation[8] |
Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport (Polish: Katowice Airport im. Wojciecha Korfantego) is an international airport, located in Pyrzowice, 30km (20miles) north of Katowice, Poland. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Poland by passenger volumes, with 5.6 million passengers in 2023.[9] It is also the second-busiest airport in the country by cargo volume[10] and the largest origin of charter flights in Poland.[11]
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.
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.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16] Heavy transports such as Antonov An-124[17] or An-225[18] [19] have been noted to land there on occasions. The airport uses new generation Instrument Landing System, a Thales 420 system.[20] 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.[21]
The new ATC tower has been already built. It is the tallest ATC in Poland and in Eastern Europe, at 46 meters height.[22]
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.[23] Linetech, an aircraft maintenance contractor, operates two other buildings and services Embraer E190 jets.
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).
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Katowice:
| Year[24] [25] | Passengers | Air operations | Cargo (tonnes) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 68,203 | 3,586 | 596 | |
| 1997 | 101,054 | 4,290 | 1,241 | |
| 1998 | 150,724 | 6,256 | 1,365 | |
| 1999 | 170,230 | 6,510 | 1,522 | |
| 2000 | 168,126 | 8,710 | 7,745 | |
| 2001 | 180,015 | 9,441 | 2,196 | |
| 2002 | 202,267 | 8,389 | 2,886 | |
| 2003 | 257,991 | 9,375 | 3,548 | |
| 2004 | 622,612 | 13,803 | 5,038 | |
| 2005 | 1,092,358 | 16,222 | 5,636 | |
| 2006 | 1,458,411 | 21,014 | 6,113 | |
| 2007 | 1,995,914 | 24,489 | 7,795 | |
| 2008 | 2,426,942 | 27,030 | 12,703 | |
| 2009 | 2,364,613 | 26,206 | 6,543 | |
| 2010 | 2,403,253 | 26,770 | 11,195 | |
| 2011 | 2,544,124 | 29,259 | 12,138 | |
| 2012 | 2,550,848 | 30,584 | 10,546 | |
| 2013 | 2,554,198 | 28,990 | 10,877 | |
| 2014 | 2,695,732 | 28,771 | 16,269 | |
| 2015 | 3,069,279 | 31,727 | 16,119 | |
| 2016 | 3,221,261 | 31,013 | 17,674 | |
| 2017 | 3,892,941 | 34,725 | 17,779 | |
| 2018 | 4,838,149 | 41,007 | 18,547 | |
| 2019 | 4,843,889 | 41,606 | 20,121 | |
| 2020 | 1,445,781 | 21,922 | 20,369 | |
| 2021 | 2,328,973 | 48,856 | 31,104 | |
| 2022 | 4,419,090 | 49,123 | 40,642 | |
| 2023 | 5,609,022 | 45,167 | 35,926 |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antalya | 436,213 | |
| 2 | Dortmund | 354,650 | |
| 3 | London Luton | 200,941 | |
| 4 | Hurghada | 160,954 | |
| 5 | London Stansted | 149,273 | |
| 6 | Marsa Alam | 136,845 | |
| 7 | Eindhoven | 105,664 | |
| 8 | Warsaw-Chopin | 100,188 | |
| 9 | Burgas | 95,126 | |
| 10 | 91,786 |
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.[27] There is also premium parking at Katowice International Airport. Car rentals are available.[28]
There is also a 24 hour ticket for 24PLN, this ticket also allows you to travel in regional (commuter) trains in the area.
Bus stops are next to Terminal C and Terminal B. They are about 10 metres from the terminal entrance.
There is currently a passenger rail link to the airport. There will be a new railway route from Siewierz and Tarnowskie Góry to Katowice International Airport. Both of the two connections allows 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.[37]
In December 2023 the airport gained a rail link to Katowice (via Siewierz and Tarnowskie Góry). The stop for the airport terminal is called Pyrzowice Lotnisko. It is currently served by up to 10 daily trains.[38]