This change will solve the biggest problem of the Krakow airport. The date has been given
The airport in Krakow has had the most difficult winter in over a dozen years. Work will begin this year, which will largely help deal with the problem of fog and diverted flights. We still have to wait for a solution.
On Monday, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency announced an important investment at the Kraków airport. In May this year, in cooperation with the Kraków-Balice International Airport, the replacement of the ILS system with a new one will begin. It is a radio navigation system that allows aircraft to land in conditions of limited visibility. It is crucial for operating during fog, which paralyzes the Małopolska airport in the autumn and winter.
New ILS system in Krakow. For now, category II
Work on replacing the previous ILS/DME “KRW” device will begin on May 4. According to the plan, they are to last until October 1, 2026. Then the new system is planned to be “implemented into operational operation”.
– The date of work (May-October) was not chosen accidentally. The weather is then the nicest, fog making take-offs and landings virtually non-existent. This was also the case last year, when throughout the entire summer there was practically no single day on which fog would significantly hamper operations at the airport – says Monika Chylaszek from Krakow Airport to “Wprost”.
The equipment installed by PANSA can operate in categories I, II and III, but for now it will be certified to category I – as it was before. “However, the existing infrastructure it now allows us to apply for category II certification. Up to 80 percent could land in this category. planes that were redirected to other airports this winter (and you should know that it was the most difficult winter in several years; we had the most days since 2012 that prevented takeoffs and landings at our airport). Therefore, we are carrying out the necessary work and hope that in the first quarter of 2027 we will receive category II. This is a very big change, in practice solving the biggest problem of our airport,” adds the spokeswoman for Kraków Airport.
The plans include “minor investments from the airport’s point of view” – including: improving the lighting of the existing runway, checking the obstacle-free zone required for category II or analyzing the location of the waiting area for entering the runway.
New runway. There is a green light
The new system is being installed on the existing, worn-out runway. On February 27, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) in Krakow issued a positive decision regarding the construction of a new one.
– This opened the way for further administrative procedures, i.e. the resumption by the Małopolska Voivodeship Office of the procedure for issuing a ZRIL decision (Permit to Implement an Investment in the Field of a Public Use Airport), i.e. the equivalent of a building permit. First of all, we now need to analyze in detail the content of the environmental decision, which is nearly 300 pages long, and update the design documentation. Step by step, we are getting closer to completing the formalities leading to the construction of a new road, says Monika Chylaszek.
The new road will replace the existing one and will be adapted to ILS operation in category III. – Then we won’t be afraid of any fog – emphasizes the Kraków Airport spokeswoman.
