The Upper Silesian Aviation Group (“Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze”, GTL), which is a management body of the Katowice International Airport, currently starts the most important infrastructure investment in its history. On Monday, GTL and Budimex SA signed a contract for the construction of a new runway. A total worth of the agreement amounts to PLN 150 million.
The works will commence within 30 days from the date of entry into force of the contract and will be continued until the end of September 2014. The new runway will be the most modern amongst all Polish airports. It will be 45 meters wide and 3 200 meters long – 400 meters longer than the existing one, which will be transformed into a taxiway. The new runway may be extended by another 400 meters in the future. A total area of the runway and the main taxiways will cover 208 500 sq. meters.
“The Katowice International Airport will become one the most modern airports in this part of Europe. The investment will help to reinforce our competitiveness and develop our services. The construction of the new runway means that we will be enable to host larger aircrafts and to increase its number. It will allow flying machines for take-offs to any place in the world without the need to stop for refueling and to approve aircrafts with the maximum take-off weight” – explained Artur Tomasik, president of the GTL’s management board.
The scope of works includes the construction of the 3,2 km long runway’s section of asphaltic concrete and technical roads, alteration of the radio navigation system, telecommunication networks for radio navigation and meteorological equipment. The works on the runway are the second contract of Budimex for GTL – in 2008, Budimex constructed the apron at the airport.
The ILF Poland company will provide comprehensive investor’s supervision and project management services during the process of investment.
The undertaking is part of the expansion and modernization of the infrastructure worth approximately more than gross PLN 500 million. At present, the extension of the apron and modernization of the taxiways E1, E2 and D are more than fifty percent done. The apron will be adapted to accommodate 13 aircrafts simultaneously. Completion of the construction work is expected in the second quarter of 2013. The expansion will add about 150 000 sq. meters of additional infrastructure space at the airport.
The whole project (excluding costs of turning the existing runway into the taxiway) is co-financed by the European Union within the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2007-2013. Up to 50% of the qualified costs will be subsidized.
The aim of the project is to increase the Katowice International Airport capacity and to ensure the highest standards of the provided services. The airport belongs to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). It is one of the largest airports in Poland.