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Wrocław Airport

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Wrocław Nicolaus Copernicus Airport (Polish: Port lotniczy Wrocław im. Mikołaja Kopernika) (IATA: WRO, ICAO: EPWR) is an international civil-military airport in Wrocław in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland. It is Poland's 5th busiest airport. In 2023, it handled over 3.8 million passengers.[2] The airport is located 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of the city centre, at ul. Graniczna 190. It has one runway, one passenger terminal, one cargo terminal and one general aviation terminal. Wrocław Airport is also often used by Polish Air Force, US Air Force, NATO air force and Heavy Airlift Wing.

Wrocław Nicolaus Copernicus Airport

Port Lotniczy im. Mikołaja Kopernika we Wrocławiu
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerWrocław - 49%
Lower Silesian Voivodeship - 31%
Polskie Porty Lotnicze - 20%
OperatorWrocław Airport Company
ServesWrocław, Poland
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL123 m / 404 ft
Coordinates51°06′34″N 016°52′49″E / 51.10944°N 16.88028°E / 51.10944; 16.88028
Websiteairport.wroclaw.pl
Map
EPWR is located in Lower Silesian Voivodeship
EPWR
EPWR
Location in Poland
EPWR is located in Poland
EPWR
EPWR
EPWR (Poland)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29 2,503 8,212 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Number of Passengers3,891,553 Increase
Aircraft Movements17,2 Increase
Source: Polish AIP at EUROCONTROL[1]

History

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Early years

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The airport was built in 1938 as Flugplatz Breslau-Schöngarten Airport for German military purposes before World War II, when the city was still part of Germany.[3] It was the site of a military aviation school, the Luftkriegsschule Breslau-Schöngarten, later renamed Luftkriegsschule 5. Among the Luftwaffe units stationed here just before the war were the Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, Kampfgeschwader 76, and Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg".

It was operated briefly by Soviet forces following the war before being used for civilian purposes in 1945.[4] Services were operated to Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Katowice. By 1992 destinations also included Kraków, Rzeszów, Gdańsk, Szczecin and Koszalin.

'Port Lotniczy Wrocław S. A.' was established as a company in January 1992 and Wrocław Airport assets operated by the state-owned Polish Airports authority were transferred to the company in January 1993.[4]

The first international flights were inaugurated in January 1993, serving Frankfurt, Germany.[5] Significant airport improvements have been completed in the late twentieth century. A new international departures terminal was opened in May 1997 followed by a new domestic terminal in November 1998.[4]

Developments since the 2000s

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A cargo terminal, international arrivals hall, and installation of a new meteorological system were completed in 1999; new fire station and apron extensions in 2000.[5] A new air traffic control tower and duty-free area followed in 2001.[4]

On 6 December 2005, the airport was renamed after the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (Polish: Mikołaj Kopernik),[6] who studied and received a scholarship in Wrocław, and was a scholaster of the Wrocław Collegiate Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew in the years 1503–1538. However, after a rebrand in 2014, the name has been dropped. Terminal extensions were officially opened on the same day, increasing the airport's capacity to 750,000 passengers per year. This capacity was quickly exceeded by several hundred thousand (in the first 9 months of 2007 the airport served 972,505 passengers) so the existing terminal space was expanded by 1,900 m2 (20,451 sq ft) to alleviate some of the congestion, but more importantly make the terminal facilities conform to the requirements of the Schengen Agreement, which was implemented at Poland's airports on 31 March 2008. On 19 July 2006, the architectural firm JSK was chosen to design a significant airport expansion. This includes plans for a new passenger terminal (eventually, after several stages of expansion, the airport will be able to handle 7 million passengers yearly) and assorted taxiway, apron and navigation equipment improvements (ILS).[5] Also, car parking will be expanded to 1,000 spaces. The first stage, increasing the passenger capacity to 3.5 million yearly, officially opened on 29 February 2012. However, the new terminal opened to passengers on 11 March 2012.

In May 2014, the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) base was launched at the airport.

in 2015, Ryanair announced that it has selected Wrocław Airport for its aircraft maintenance base. The construction of the hangar to fit 2 C-type aircraft (Boeing 737) was finished in June 2017.[7] The airport has upgraded to ILS system from category I to category II in April 2016.[8]

Until it was reformed (30 June 2010), the 3rd Air Base, whose barracks complex adjoins the airport also used the main runway of the airport.

From 14 September 2020, the airport serves a regular cargo connection Wrocław - Cologne Bonn Airport carried out by ATR 72 plane by Swiftair for UPS. On November 16 - December 24, 2021, the second connection was carried out on this route, by Saab SF-340 plane by Airest.

In October 2022, Ryanair began the expansion of WAMS (Wrocław Aircraft Maintenance Services) with another hangar and two spaces for C-type aircraft (Boeing 737). The Airport also announced a number of projects including new taxiways, additional apron space and deicing designated space.

In November 2023, the airport started serving its first ever intercontinental flight - a LOT Polish Airlines service to Seoul Incheon Airport, which primarily serves Wrocław's Korean diaspora.[9]

Facilities

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The airport operates modern domestic, international and cargo terminals. The international terminal contains a duty-free area in the international departures hall. The cargo terminal, located beside the airport fire station and air traffic control tower, has a storage area of 3,300 m2 (36,000 sq ft), a bonded warehouse, freezer and radioactive materials warehouse.

US Armed Forces Main Operating Base

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Due to the existence of NATO garrisons nearby (Bolesławiec, Pstrąże, Świętoszów, Żagań), in which US troops have been stationed as part of the Atlantic Resolve operation since January 2017, Wroclaw airport is very often used by US Air Force transport aircraft (inter alia Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Lockheed C-5 Galaxy). On 23 September 2019, in New York, the presidents of the US and Poland signed a declaration on the deepening of defense cooperation, in which Wrocław Airport was designated as the headquarters of the US Army air transport base.[10]

The District Infrastructure Board from Wrocław in July 2020 announced a tender for the preparation of pre-project documentation regarding the preparation of infrastructure for the aerial port of debarkation (APOD).[11] On 25 September 2020, a contract was signed with the winner of the tender, which has until 30 June 2021 to complete the task.

Airlines and destinations

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The following airlines serve regular scheduled and charter services to and from Wrocław:

AirlinesDestinations
Buzz Seasonal charter: Heraklion[citation needed]
Enter Air Charter: Antalya,[citation needed] Dubai–International,[citation needed] Hurghada[citation needed]
Seasonal charter: Enfidha,[citation needed] Fuerteventura,[citation needed] Mombasa[citation needed]
Finnair Helsinki (ends 6 January 2025)[12][13][14]
KLM Amsterdam[15]
LOT Polish Airlines Seoul–Incheon,[16] Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Norwegian Air Shuttle Seasonal: Copenhagen[17]
Ryanair[18] Agadir,[19] Alicante, Beauvais, Bergamo,[20] Billund, Bologna, Bournemouth, Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gdańsk, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London–Stansted, Málaga, Malta, Manchester, Marseille,[21] Naples, Palermo, Paphos, Porto, Rome–Fiumicino,[19] Sandefjord, Shannon, Sofia, Stockholm–Arlanda, Treviso, Valencia[19]
Seasonal: Athens, Brindisi, Chania, Charleroi, Corfu, Dubrovnik,[22] Girona, Lisbon,[19] Newcastle upon Tyne,[23] Palma de Mallorca, Pisa, Podgorica, Zadar[citation needed]
Smartwings Seasonal: Marsa Alam[24]
Seasonal charter: Antalya,[25] Tirana[25]
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich[26]
Wizz Air Barcelona, Bari, Eindhoven, Kutaisi,[27] Larnaca, London–Luton, Málaga
Seasonal: Split,[citation needed] Tirana[citation needed]

Statistics

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Interior of Main Terminal
 
General Aviation Terminal
Annual passenger traffic at WRO airport. See Wikidata query.

Following are the official airport annual traffic figures.[28]

Year Passengers Cargo (tonnes)[29] Movements Comments
1998 174 202 871 9 558
1999 191 502 628 10 333
2000 210 873 2 548 11 858
2001 237 705 1 172 7 430
2002 236 151 1 571 6 594
2003 284 334 1 183 12 384
2004 355 431 823 18 509
2005 454 047 1 378 20 556
2006 857 931 1 510 25 002
2007 1 270 825 1 458 26 948
2008 1 486 442 1 462 32 000
2009 1 365 456 1 031 25 472
2010 1 654 439 946 23 627 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
2011 1 657 472 957 25 339
2012 1 996 552 928 27 960 UEFA Euro 2012 in Wrocław
2013 1 920 179 910 24 958
2014 2 085 638 463 24 970
2015 2 320 000 391 24 510
2016 2 419 561 2 549 25 486
2017 2 855 071 1 025 27 737
2018 3 347 553 10 425 32 462
2019 3 548 089 11 061 32 967
2020 1 007 323 8 809 15 512 COVID-19 pandemic
2021 1 418 836 11 211 18 812
2022 2 878 054 11 125 27 825
2023 3 891 553 10 413 32 360

Ground transportation

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Bus and coach

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The airport is served by two city bus (MPK Wrocław [pl]) lines, which on their routes have many stops in the city. Line 106 (day[30]) or 206 (night) connect to main railway station and main bus station. The journey time is 45 minutes. Line 129[31] through the estates Strachowice, Żerniki, Kuźniki, Gądów Mały, Popowice, Różanka, Karłowice, Poświętne with the northern part of the Psie Pole district. Line 129 also connects the airport with the nearest railway station - Wrocław Żerniki (Żernicka stop).[32][33][34]

Car

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The airport also is served by traditional taxi corporations, as well as Uber, Bolt, iTaxi. The airport offers nearly 4,000 parking spaces.[35] There are car rentals at the airport.[36]

Bike

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There is a bike path that leads to the airport.[37][38]

Railway

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There are plans to build a railway line between the airport and Wrocław Główny railway station. It would involve the construction of around a 2.5 km long spur from an existing railway line.

A tunnel and a railway station have been designed under the main terminal, and built at the time of its construction.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "EAD Basic - Error Page". www.ead.eurocontrol.int.
  2. ^ "Wroclaw airport breaks all-time passenger traffic record in 2023". thefirstnews.com. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ "latamy z WROclawia » Maintenance Mode". latamyzwroclawia.pl.
  4. ^ a b c d "History | Port Lotniczy Wrocław". airport.wroclaw.pl. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  5. ^ a b c "Copernicus Airport, Wrocław". Airport Technology. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  6. ^ "Polot - Lotnisko we Wrocławiu Strachowice 2011r". www.polot.net (in Polish). 2011-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  7. ^ "Ryanair zakłada własną klasę w szkole we Wrocławiu. Absolwent może zarabiać nawet do 25 tys. PLN miesięcznie". Fly4free.pl - tanie loty i sposoby na tanie bilety lotnicze (in Polish). Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ^ Ryś, Aleksandra (2016-05-18). "Wrocław najbezpieczniejszym lotniskiem w Polsce. System ILS CAT II już działa!". www.tanie-loty.com.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. ^ "To było marzenie - do Seulu z Wrocławia bezpośrednim samolotem. Takiego połączenia jeszcze nie było". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  10. ^ "Jak będzie wyglądała polsko-amerykańska baza we Wrocławiu?". defence24.pl. 9 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Jak będzie wyglądała polsko-amerykańska baza we Wrocławiu?". defence24.pl. 9 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Finnair Adds Wroclaw Service From April 2024". Aeroroutes.
  13. ^ "Finnair NW24 Europe Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  14. ^ https://www.rynek-lotniczy.pl/wiadomosci/finnair-zawiesi-polaczenie-do-wroclawia-22601.html
  15. ^ "KLM NS24 European Service Changes – 21JAN24". Aeroroutes.
  16. ^ "Rynek Lotniczy: LOT poleci z Wrocławia do Seulu".
  17. ^ "Norwegian NS24 Network Additions – 14NOV23". AeroRoutes.
  18. ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
  19. ^ a b c d "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23". Aeroroutes.
  20. ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
  21. ^ "3 nowe trasy Ryanaira z Polski! Na liście nadmorskie miasta z Włoch i Francji".
  22. ^ "Ryanair: Dubrovnik - Wroclaw".
  23. ^ "Ryanair NW23 Network Changes – 17SEP23".
  24. ^ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240815-3znw24wrormf
  25. ^ a b "Smartwings Poland NS24 Charter Network Additions".
  26. ^ "SWISS NW24 Europe Frequency Changes – 27OCT24". Aeroroutes. Aeroroutes. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Wizz Air NW24 Network Additions – 14SEP24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  28. ^ "Annual statistics", ulc.gov.pl. Link accessed 2012-05-28.
  29. ^ "Cargo - Port Lotniczy Wrocław". airport.wroclaw.pl.
  30. ^ "Port Lotniczy, bus 106 on Google Maps". Port Lotniczy. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  31. ^ "Port Lotniczy, bus 129 on Google Maps". Port Lotniczy. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  32. ^ www.cmsmirage.pl, CMSMirage sp z o o-. "Autobus 206 we Wrocławiu - sprawdź rozkład jazdy". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  33. ^ www.cmsmirage.pl, CMSMirage sp z o o-. "Autobus 106 we Wrocławiu - sprawdź rozkład jazdy". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  34. ^ www.cmsmirage.pl, CMSMirage sp z o o-. "Autobus 129 we Wrocławiu - sprawdź rozkład jazdy". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  35. ^ "Nowy parking przy lotnisku już działa". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  36. ^ "Car rental | Port Lotniczy Wrocław". airport.wroclaw.pl. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  37. ^ "Rowerowy Wrocław - czyli najpopularniejsze ścieżki oraz trasy rowerowe". Oliwia Papatanasis | The Ollie (in Polish). 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  38. ^ "System Informacji Przestrzennej Wrocławia". gis.um.wroc.pl/imap. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
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