Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport (Polish:Katowice Airport im. Wojciecha Korfantego) (IATA:KTW,ICAO:EPKT) is aninternational airport, located inPyrzowice, 30 km (19 mi) north ofKatowice,Poland. The airport is named afterWojciech Korfanty, a politician of the early years of Polish independence. It isthe fourth-busiest airport in Poland by passenger volumes, with 5.6 million passengers in 2023.[8] It is also the second-busiest airport in the country by cargo volume[9] and the largest origin of charter flights in Poland.[10]
The current location of Katowice Airport was initially used by theGerman air force. In 1940, theLuftwaffe 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 and 1,500 meters, and around 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for handling of military aircraft flying from the inner part of theGerman Reich, carrying supplies totroops on theEastern Front.In the final phase ofWorld War II, theMesserschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket-powered aircraft were tested here. Following GeneralErnst Udet's (a Luftwaffeflying ace) death in 1941, the airfield was namedUdetfeld.
After theRed Army's advance in early 1945, theSoviet air forces gained the control of the airfield. In the early 1950s, the Soviets handed the airbase over to thePolish 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 aLOT Polish Airlines place taking off forWarsaw 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This runway has since been replaced by a new adjacent one (3,200m), completed in May 2015.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 (TheUpper Silesian Aviation Group) was established and in 1994, it became the operator of Pyrzowice Airport. International service from Pyrzowice commenced on March 27, 1993, whenLufthansa started its daily service toFrankfurt Airport.
Poland's admission to theEuropean Union has supercharged airport's growth. The Hungarian low-cost airlineWizzAir chose Katowice for its first base, with their inaugural flight taking off forLondon Luton.[11] Other low-cost airlines, as well as charter airlines, followed. In 2007, a second terminal (Terminal B) forSchengen 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.[12]
There are three passengerterminals: 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.[13]
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.[14]
The airport's concreterunway is 3200m by 45m, oriented 8 and 26, and can accommodate aircraft as large asBoeing 747 orBoeing 777, albeit not atMTOW.[15] Heavy transports such asAntonov An-124[16] orAn-225[17][18] have been noted to land there on occasions. The airport uses new generationInstrument Landing System, aThales 420 system.[19] The runway at Katowice Airport is the second longest runway in Poland, behindWarsaw 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.[20]
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.[22] Linetech, an aircraft maintenance contractor, operates two other buildings and servicesEmbraerE190 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.[citation needed]
There is also a Moxy Hotel, a brand byMarriott International, located right next to the main parking entrance (P1).
MetropoliaZTM[89] 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. M11 is another bus to Katowice 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.
Bus connections from other largest cities of the region, such asKraków,[93]Częstochowa[94] and minibus - inter alia from/toOpole,[95][96]Wrocław[95][96] are also available. Local buses connect to the city ofBytom 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.
In December 2023 the airport gained a rail link to Tarnowskie Góry and Zawiercie, which allows direct trains running from the airport to Katowice. The stop for the airport terminal is called ”Pyrzowice Lotnisko” and is located approximately 500 metres from passenger terminals, to which leads an asphalt pavement. The station is covered with a roof and adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities.[97]
As of January 2025, trains run on the route: Częstochowa – Częstochowa Raków – Poraj – Myszków – Zawiercie – Poręba – Siewierz – Mierzęcice – Pyrzowice Lotnisko (Katowice Airport) – Miasteczko Śląskie Centrum – Tarnowskie Góry[98]
There will be a direct connection to Katowice and other Silesian cities, after theKatowice railway station rail road reconstruction is finished.[99]
The airport rail yard will also include the railway track connecting Katowice Airport with theCMK High Speed Main Line via line no. 182 Zawiercie - Tarnowskie Góry. This project has received funding from the European Union. According to the schedule, the finished infrastructure will be put into service no later than June 2026.[100]
On 27 October 2007, aBoeing 737-800 chartered by theUN destroyed dozens of approach and landing lights whilst making a low approach.[101] No passengers were injured, but the approach lights were out of service for three weeks.
On 12 March 2013,Travel Service Flight 7137, aBoeing 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.[102]
On 5 July 2014Lufthansa Flight 1360, operated byLufthansa 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.[103]
On 2 July 2025, during a plane's landing (AlbaStar airline), roofs of two houses in nearbyOżarowice village were damaged, due to a turbulence. Nobody was injured. Roof tiles fell off from an area of around 1 m2. Firefighters removed the loose debris. Police have initially determined that the aircraft did not deviate from the planned course and that the landing approach was performed in accordance with procedures. Landings from the Ożarowice direction (west) are relatively rare while a majority of planes (as many as 80%) land from theSiewierz direction (east).[104][105][106][107][108]
Antalya (AYT)
10,2%
Dortmund (DTM)
Hurghada (HRG)
London-Luton (LTN)
0,8%
Djerba (DJE)
Catania (CTA)
Warsaw-Chopin (WAW)
Eindhoven (EIN)
0,0%
Larnaca (LCA)
Athens (ATH)
Tenerife-South (TFS)
Malta (MLA)
Media related toKatowice-Pyrzowice Airport at Wikimedia Commons