A volume of cargo traffic at the Katowice International Airport (KTW) was more than doubled in the first half of 2010 than in the corresponding time period last year. As the airport plans to become a cargo center of the region including southern Poland at least, following investments are under preparation.
By the end of 2013, a new cargo terminal covering area of 7 000 sq. meters will be developed. Thanks to the airport’s location, the future railway line connecting KTW with the Agglomeration and the A1 highway which is under construction nearby, it is possible to raise a logistic center in the area which would cover even 100 000 sq.m.
According to airport authorities, a catchment area of the cargo base includes about 400 kilometers radius and embraces Łodź and Warsaw surroundings. KTW is the only Polish airport which services transatlantic cargo flights between Poland and Canada. Moreover, this year a cargo route to Seoul in South Korea was inaugurated.
In H1 2010 the cargo traffic at the airport increased by a record-breaking 113% (5,8 thousand tons) in comparison with the same period last year. In June a number of freight grew by 80 percent. About 31 tons of freight is serviced every day at the airport. 15 years ago it was only 1,5 ton per day.
To increase the airport’s attractivity and to come up the increasing number of cargo operations, a new runway, taxiways, plane parking for 26 aircrafts, car parks, fire brigade center and airdock will be built next years. The airdock will be developed by the end of 2011.
According to authorities, the main asset of the Katowice Airport is a possibility of 24/7 services, the road infrastructure in the area and the planned development. About PLN 630 million will be spent for investments during next six years.
In the first half of 2010, 1 023 091 passengers used the Katowice Airport, noting a growth of 6% in the charter sector (211 874 passengers) in comparison to the first six months of 2009.
The number of planned aircraft operations indicates that June and August this year will also be record-breaking in terms of passenger volume. By the end of the year, approximately 2,4 million passengers will use the Katowice Airport and it will score highest results in passenger volume in the charter sector.