The expansion of the aircraft apron at Kraków Airport has started

On September 27, the work on the construction of a new apron at Kraków Airport officially started. The expansion of the western part of the apron is aimed at improving the capacity of the aircraft apron area. The entire investment, worth PLN 133.7 million, has been coordinated with the planned reconstruction and expansion of the passenger terminal and the construction of a new runway.

The event was attended by: Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk, Małopolska Voivode Łukasz Kmita, Marshal of Małopolska Voivodeship Witold Kozłowski, Mayor of Krakow Jacek Majchrowski, Deputy Mayor of Krakow Arkadiusz Wrzoszczyk, as well as member of the board of MAX BÖGL Polska sp. z o.o. Falk Rohmberger and CEO of Kraków Airport Radosław Włoszek.

The ongoing pandemic has shown that investments are an effective solution to prevent the crisis. In the future, the expansion of Kraków Airport will have an impact on the further development of Kraków, economic recovery, cultural exchange, and the revitalisation of tourism, and will attract new investors. Usually, airports constitute the nucleus of business areas. It is extremely important in the context of long-term, strategic projects that are being implemented, such as Kraków Nowa Huta Przyszłość and the environs of the airport in Balice and Nowe Miasto in Rybitwy, says Mayor Jacek Majchrowski.

Despite the tough times for the aviation sector due to the pandemic, Kraków Airport still has to develop with even greater intensity – emphasises Radosław Włoszek, President of the Management Board of Kraków Airport. The expansion of the apron is part of the general plan for 2016-2036, consistently implemented by the MPL management board, and is aimed at increasing the number of parking spaces within the apron area. This is another investment at Kraków Airport of key importance for south-eastern Poland, adds Włoszek.

The expansion of the apron in the western part will include the construction of new pavement for the parking and servicing of aircraft with a total area of almost 11 ha. As part of the task, the current layout of exit taxiways will be simplified and their routes will be adapted to provide connection to the eastern express exit taxiway, designed as part of the new runway construction project.

As a result of the expansion, 15 new parking spaces will be created, adapted to service C-code aeroplanes such as the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320. Four of the spaces (located in the southern part) will be used interchangeably as two spaces for wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, supporting transatlantic flights from Krakow airport.

The expanded apron area will also be equipped with navigation lighting infrastructure – taxiway centreline lights and parking space guidance lights. Under the structures of the apron area, an advanced system of rainwater drainage and impoundment is planned, including a system for controlling and monitoring the quality of collected water.

Let us note that on 18 of May 2020, an agreement was signed between Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice and MAX BÖGL Polska sp. z o.o. for the implementation of the project titled ‘Extension of the apron for aircraft in the western part, together with the accompanying infrastructure at Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice sp. z o.o.’

The project is to be implemented according to the design-build project delivery system. In August 2021, the Małopolska Voivode issued a permit for the project.