A big problem for passengers at the Polish airport. We have to wait for a solution

Kraków Airport is the largest regional airport in Poland, and also the second largest in terms of the number of passengers served. Fog is particularly troublesome there in the autumn and winter, causing flight delays and redirection to nearby airports, including Katowice.

Fog at the Krakow airport

Some time ago, the airport management ordered an expert opinion which was to provide an answer as to whether it is possible to install a modern category 3 ILS system on the current runway, which would allow for a safe landing during capricious weather.

Unfortunately, the answer was negative.

Radio Kraków reports that the Air Force Institute of Technology has issued a negative recommendation regarding the installation of a new category system. It considered that "interfering with the existing infrastructure would be too risky". In order to install a radio navigation system, it would be necessary to increase the density of lights on the runway axis. Currently, they are placed every 30 meters, and a higher category requires 15-meter intervals. According to experts, there is no risk that the changes will worsen the technical condition of the runway.

Without ILS III. The problem with the current runway

"In our assessment, the risks outweigh the benefits and may lead to a significant deterioration of the runway infrastructure," said Kraków Airport CEO Łukasz Strutyńki. He pointed out that "in the long-term perspective, only for about 2 percent of the airport's operating hours does the visibility on the runway drop below 550 m, which makes landing impossible." He added that this is a problem for the fastest growing airport in Europe .

The new runway is to be built by 2031 – in three stages. The first (1,800 m) is to be ready in the autumn of 2029. This means that passengers will have to deal with delays and flight cancellations for at least another seven years. The current runway is worn out, but renovation works (replacing concrete pavement slabs) allow for its safe use. "Last year, we replaced 295 slabs, and this year, 92. In total, we replaced 2,405 slabs," reads the airport's announcement.

"In the ITWL report, experts indicate possible solutions for the runway renovation, assuming that the work would be completed in about 3 months, which would extend the runway's service life by at least 10 years and take into account all the conditions required to increase the airport's category," it added.

Read also: Runway cracks, many changes planned. Reconstruction of Polish airport coming Read also: Fog paralyzes Polish airport. Planes have problems taking off