The airport opened for civil aviation in 1964. The Balice airport was a military site until 28 February 1968. Four years later the first passenger terminal was built there. 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 spent many years of his life in Kraków and had served 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 Irishlow-cost carrierRyanair 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 was opened. At that time, plans were underway to begin construction of a new terminal. A seven-story 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 of it. The airport also has a favorable location on the network of existing and planned motorways in this region of Poland.
Facilities
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. It is also possible to handle transfer passengers irrespective of the routes. 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,.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Annual traffic
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 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. The railway line ultimately reaches the terminal building, rather than the previous temporary stop located from the terminal. The price to the city is 9 PLN. Tickets can be bought from ticket machines or from the staff onboard.
Bus
Public buses link the airport during the day and during the night with the main railway and bus station in Kraków and the ICE Congress Centre. Normal city tariff applies thus making it by far the cheapest public transport connection to the city centre, at 4.60zł. Public buses can be used after purchasing tickets from a ticket machine located in the arrival hall, at the bus stop or from ticket machines that can be found in most buses. All tickets have to be validated after getting on a bus. It is also possible to use private-owned bus and minibus services connecting the airport with the city center or other cities in Poland. Tickets require bookings in advance.
