KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT "JOHN PAUL II"
Address
Krakow Airport (KRK)
Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy
im. Jana Pawła II
Krakow - Balice Sp. z o.o.
ul. Kpt. M. Medweckiego 1
32-083 Balice
gm. Zabierzów
woj. Małopolskie
Poland
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Contact
Phone: (+48) 126393000
24-hour airport information phone service: (+48) 122855120
Email: lotnisko@lotnisko-balice.pl
Website: http://www.lotnisko-balice.pl/eng/
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Location
The John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice is located in the south of Poland, 11 km to the west from Krakow.
The northern border of the airport is adjacent to Krakow-Katowice motorway, in the west it is situated next to Morawica, in the east the airport borders with a motorway in the direction of Tarnow and the southern part of the airport is used by technical services and facilities of the military air transport base and the civil airport.
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Transportation
by car
The airport can be reached from the centre of Kraków by four different roads. The airport possesses as well its own exit ramp from the A4 motorway. It is a thirty minutes' drive from the city center.
by bus
The bus stop is located directly at the roundabout, in front of the passenger terminal. Bus No.192 goes from Krakowska Szkoła Wyższa, through Railway Station, Plac Matejki, AGH and the Cracovia Hotel and bus No. 208 - from Nowy Kleparz, through the Miasteczko Studenckie (Students' Town) and Balicka Street. With bus No.192 the journey time is approximately 35 minutes and the bus fare is 2.40 PLN. This bus runs from 04:45 to 23:00. With bus No.208 the journey time is approx. 40 minutes and the fare is 2.60 PLN. Buses arrive every 15-25 minutes. Tickets purchased from the driver cost 3 PLN. There is also available a night bus No.602 which leaves every 50 minutes until 01:20.
Radtur buses have an airport shuttle service running between Balice Airport and Kraków international bus station on ul. Bosacka. One way tickets are priced at 7 PLN. Buses from Balice run everyday at 11:50, 12:40, 13:30, 14:20, 15:20, 16:00, 16:50, 17:30, 18:20, 19:10 and 20:40. Buses from Kraków run at 10:45, 11:45, 12:20, 13:10, 14:10, 14:50, 15:50, 16:30, 17:20, 18:00 and 19:40.
by train
The Kraków-Balice Station is located approximately 200 m from the passenger terminal, you can get there by foot (around 5 minutes walk)
or take a free shuttle bus service which operates to and from Kraków-Balice Station (3 minutes ride). Trains run every thirty minutes between 04:00 and midnight. the journey lasts about 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased on board, ticket fare is 3.80 PLN.
by taxi
Taxi stand is situated by the passenger terminal. A trip to the center shouldn't cost more than 60-70 PLN.
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Parking
Located opposite the passenger terminal, the parking lot can accommodate 756 vehicles, including 15 places for buses. The rates are 5 PLN per hour, 40 PLN per 1st day, 40 PLN per 2nd day and 20 PLN.
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Services
Information Point - It is located in the central part of the passenger terminal and consists of two booths and a public visual-info system.
Ticket office - It is on the ground level in the public part of the passenger terminal.
Tourist offices - Open every day from 09:00 to 21:00.
Car rental - Rent-a-Car offices are located in the public part directly opposite the exit from the domestic and international arrival lounge. National, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz.
Money services - A branch of Bank Przemysłowo Handlowy PBK S.A. is open form Monday to Friday between 07:45 and 21:00 in the terminal's public area. You can also exchange money here. Two foreign exchange offices are situated in the public part of the passenger terminal, open Monday to Satuday from 07:45 to 20:30 and Sundays from 07:45 to 19:00 (5 % commission). In addition, there is an automatic-teller machine. ATM is available in the arrival hall.
Post Office - located in the terminal's public area, open Monday till Friday, from 08:45 to 14:45, offers bank and ZUS payments (transfers), post remittances, letters, postcards, stamps.
Catering - "Unia" - restaurant and cafe - the mezzanine of the passenger terminal; "Unia Snack Bar" - the public part of the passenger terminal and outdoor-bar outside the terminal (in summer season); "Podniebny Barek" Lot Catering - the public part of the terminal; Caffe "Voyage" - the departure lounge after ticket control. There is also a cafe in the domestic departure hall and cold drinks vending machines.
Newspapers - everyday available in rooms at the mezzanine of the passenger terminal.
Shops - The duty free shop is situated in the international departure hall after ticket/passport control. It offers cosmetics, alcohol, tobacco, and sweets of well-known brands as well as souvenirs. Shops are located in the public part of the passenger terminal. They offer, among others, a wide range of souvenirs, jewelery, folk souvenirs, alcohol, tobacco, and food products.
Observation deck - a view terrace is open every day from 07:00 to 16:00
Luggage - Luggage trolleys are available free of charge and without any deposit at the parking lot, at entrance to the passenger terminal and in the arrival lounge. Lost Luggage Office is located in the public part next to the exit from the domestic and international arrival lounge. Open: 8:00 - 20:00.
Mother and baby room - well-equipped room, available 24 hours a day free of charge and located at the mezzanine in the public part of the passenger terminal
First Aid Point - It is located in the public part of the passenger terminal.
Chapel - It is available to everybody during the terminal's opening hours. There is mass on Sundays at 10:00.
Executive lounge - It is equipped with a computer and Internet access, two places to work with a notebook, satellite TV, printer, copier, fax machine, card phone and visual information system with a current timetable. Passengers are offered a wide selection of Polish and foreign newspapers and magazines and a self-service buffet with a wide choice of cold and hot soft drinks, sweet refreshments and alcohol drinks.
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History
The airport was opened for civil aviation in 1964. Earlier, there was an older airport operating at Krakow-Rakowice-Czyzyny, now the site of the Polish Aviation Museum. The current Krakow airport is the second biggest one in the country after the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, and is the leading Polish regional airport. The Krakow airport has very good prospects for development, as almost 8 million people live within 100 kilometers of it. It also has a favorable location in the network of existing and planned motorways in this region of Poland. In 1995 the airport's name was changed from Krakow-Balice Airport to John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice, after Pope John Paul ?? who spent many years of his life in Krakow. In 2003, when Irish low-fare airline Ryanair was said to be interested in starting its service from the John Paul II International Airport, the airport authorities refused to reduce the airport fee. In response, the regional authorities of Krakow and Malopolskie Voivodship 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 other low-cost carriers such as Sky Europe, Germanwings, Easyjet and Centralwings. But the regional authorities still want to attract Ryanair, and it is often said that Ryanair is likely planning on using the Krakow airport as its hub in Central and Eastern Europe. As of May 26, 2006 there now exists a rail link between the main railroad station in Krakow and the airport in Krakow-Balice.
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Statistics
Passengers traffic:
1993 - 94.625 thousands
2000 - 517.015 thousands
2005 - 1.564.338 millions
Cargo traffic:
1993 - 953 tonnes
2000 - 2.468 tonnes
2005 - 3.255 tonnes
Aircraft movements:
1993 - 6.069
2000 - 15.288
2005 - 21.951
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