Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Kraków John Paul II International Airport lies at Balice, some 11 km west of Kraków in southern Poland, and is the country's second-busiest airport after Warsaw Chopin. It offers a single hard-surfaced runway with a full ILS on one end, making it a straightforward but busy international destination for simulator pilots flying into southern Poland.
Kraków John Paul II International Airport serves the historic city of Kraków from the village of Balice and is named in honour of Pope John Paul II, who spent much of his life in the city. It is Poland's second-busiest airport by passenger numbers, operated by John Paul II Krakow-Balice International Airport Ltd, and for a sim pilot it offers a realistic mix of airline traffic, a single long instrument runway and an interesting mix of history stretching back to the 1960s.
The airport sits at Balice, about 11 km west of Kraków city centre in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, at coordinates 50.0778N 19.7847E. It is a controlled aerodrome handled by Krakow Approach, Director and Tower, reflecting its status as a major international gateway rather than a quiet VFR field.
The airport has one physical hard-surfaced, lit runway aligned 07/25. Runway 07 has a landing length of 8344 ft, while runway 25 is 7562 ft, and runway 25 is equipped with an ILS approach. Field elevation is 784 ft.
Pilots should expect to work Krakow Approach on 121.075 MHz, with ATIS broadcast on 126.125 MHz. Krakow Director operates on 123.8 MHz, and Tower frequencies are listed as 118.1 MHz and 123.25 MHz. Runway 25 is served by an ILS, supporting instrument approaches in poor weather.
Construction of the airport began in 1964 and it opened for civil aviation in 1967, having previously been a military site until February 1968. The first passenger terminal followed in 1972, and through the 1970s the runway was extended by 400 metres, taxiways were built and high-intensity runway lighting was installed. A new terminal opened for public use in 1993, and in 1995 the entire airport was modernised. That same year it was renamed from Kraków-Balice Airport to John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice, honouring the Pope, who was born nearby in Wadowice and had served as Archbishop of Kraków from 1963 until his election to the papacy in 1978. The name was further streamlined in 2007. A separate domestic terminal opened in March 2007, and a major new terminal building, begun in 2013, was completed in December 2016. Ryanair established its second Polish base at the airport in 2013.
The airport now operates around the clock, handling both domestic and international scheduled and charter flights through its modern terminal, completed in 2016 with capacity for up to eight million passengers a year. It remains Poland's second-busiest airport after Warsaw Chopin, with a wide network of airline connections across Europe and beyond.
