Kraków Airport is currently under construction. Could you tell us something more about this project – what changes will take place there?
We are in fact building a new airport. Almost the entire airside, or operational zone, is being altered, modernising and expanding the taxiway, apron and landside, that is, the part of the airport, in which passengers who are most interested, the terminal and access roads to it. We are also building a direct railway station connected directly to the terminal, and have for a long time been working on our hotel.
We are building a second parking lot, single-storey, with approximately 800 places.
These are the most important elements of our investment, and I can confidently say that it will be completely new airport.
When are the construction and repair works planned for completion?
Regarding the terminal, work is being carried out in two phases – the first is focused on the brand new building, which is under construction. We plan that passengers will be able to use it in September, when the electric train connecting Kraków main railway station to the airport will also be in operation. The train station, behind the multi-storey car park and hotel, is almost ready. All of these buildings are connected to a ground0-level terminal, with a glass footbridge leading to the first floor and the departure lounge.
Depending on the airline, passengers will be able to board the plane directly from the terminal via an enclosed walkway. To this end, we have built three new towers, which can be connected to one or two such walkways. Maintenance and depreciation of the walkways are expensive, so we have considered how to prepare them in order to use them most effectively.
We are trying to make the new terminal aesthetically pleasing, pleasant and well-kept, but overall it is functional, enabling its potential to be used effectively and unnecessary maintenance costs to be avoided.
The second part of the project is the renovation of the old part of the terminal, which is already underway. We are changing the facade and interior, so as to suit it to the aesthetics of the new building so that together they will constitute a well-functioning unit. We want this work to finish by December, so that in early 2016 passengers will be able to use it.
Today we have a terminal with an area of 15 000 m2. After the investment and works it will be 55 000 m2.
What facilities can passengers expect?
There will be many new aspects – at the heart of the airport, which is the most modern transport system in Poland, and at luggage control, so that passengers do not have a long wait upon arrival to collect their suitcases.
The internal transport system, that is, roads to the terminals, is almost ready. There is just the asphalt to lay, for which we awaiting the end of construction and renovation works and the removal of lorries. It will be a completely new transport system. The entry gates will be like in most airports in the world, where one gets a ticket at the entrance and pays upon departure.
Six transport routes have been prepared – two lanes leading into the hotel and multi-storey parking, two at the terminals, and two arterial roads.
There will also be a much larger VIP Lounge and Business Lounge area in the new terminal, because each year we recieve an increasing number of visitors interested in this service. And I must say that the monthly increase is almost 60 per cent. More and more official delegations and business guests, artists, scientists and athletes are also arriving in Kraków.
It is also worth mentioning that Kraków Airport has, for the sixth time in a row, won the medal for our Business Lounge services. This award is made by the Business Centre Club in consultation with the European Commission. Guests arriving at Kraków praise above all the elegance, service and cordiality, which they receive from our staff.
Coming back to our investment, when it comes to airside the expansion of the apron allows aircraft to stay in Kraków overnight without having to leave for Katowice or Rzeszów. It means that, in the morning, they will be ready to receive passengers. Moreover, with traffic increasing year-on-year by approximately 10-12 per cent, and more than 4 million passengers, this gives us the ability to support even several thousand more people.
Today we have 17 carriers, of which 11 is the traditional lines, among them British Airways, KLM, Swiss, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and Airberlin. Among the low-cost carriers, Ryanair is the largest, serving 30 directions, and we are also the only airport in Poland from which EasyJet flies.
We want to develop a permanent connection to holiday resorts. In autumn, flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria will begin, as well as to Israel’s Red Sea resort. Planes will fly there twice a week. We are expanding our network not only in the direction of the south of Europe, such as Sicily, Majorca, Malta, and Alicante, but also to Scandinavia, because more and more people, up to half, fly in this direction. We have opened all of these connections after analysis of, and in response to, the needs of our clients.
We have many plans yet, but first things first … we will certainly not rest on our laurels and we will continue to develop our airport.
An exhibition centre will be in the new terminal. Who will be able to showcase products there? What will passengers find?
We will present the best products in various fields showcasing Małopolska – not only food, but also clothes, new technologies, Regional companies and start-ups.
The first opportunity to present the region will be as early as April 2016, when Kraków Airport will host Routes Europe. Could you tell us something more about this important event?
Indeed, from April 24 to 26 we will host Europe’s largest, most prestigious airline event, Routes Europe. This event brings together representatives of airports and airlines across Europe. It is an opportunity for direct talks and establishing new trade contacts. The Routes events are held every year, on the continents of Europe and Asia, and from time to time global meetings are also organised. This year, we participated in a European edition in Aberdeen, and our stand was a great success.
The organisation of Routes Europe in Kraków is a huge opportunity to promote the city and the region. We expect that the fair will be attended by 1 500 to 2 000 people from the aviation and tourism industries. Part of the exhibition will be presented at Kraków Expo, and some of the events will take place at the airport and throughout the city.
Organising the fair is a great honour for our airport, since much larger airports stand in this competition, but we were able to beat them. It is also worth noting that at the end of 2014 we entered the top hundred European airports in terms of passenger numbers. Yes, we are first class! Of course, we cannot be compared with Heathrow, Frankfurt or Paris, but we did not even have the ambition to compete with them. We want to work efficiently, to meet the needs and potential of our region; we want to be an elegant, medium-sized European airport with high quality service. I consistently strive for this.
And as local patriots, we can say that Kraków has the best gastronomy, monuments, organisation, atmosphere, and… the airport (laughs) – so we invite you to Kraków.
Official website: Kraków Airport
Photo © Kraków Airport
Visualization of the project © APA Czech-Duliński-Wróbel, Design Agency „Arichtektura”
