Transport and Aviation
Regional airports are spreading their wings The development of regional airports is one of the earliest aspects of the Polish economic transformation. Although Poland has had a fairly welldeveloped network of civilian airports, and particularly military airports, since after World War II, their role was very limited. They used to be auxiliary airports for the main airport in Warsaw, which means that, in practice, they were falling into decline. Sandra Wierzbicka
Szczecin
The airport is located 15 km from the centre of Gdańsk, the same distance from the centre of Gdynia, and about 20 km from the centre of Sopot. A taxi to the city centre costs about PLN40.
Warsaw
Bydgoszcz
The airport is 10 km away from the centre of the capital. The journey to the city centre takes about 25 minutes, you can take buses no. 175 or 188, or a taxi (about PLN30).
The airport is situated 3 km away from the centre of Bydgoszcz. Access by bus is possible by bus line 80, which is the connection with the centre of Bydgoszcz.
Łódź
Poznań
The airport is located about 6 km away from the city centre. The journey takes no more than 10 minutes.
The airport is located about 7 km away from the city centre. A taxi costs about PLN30.
Zielona Góra
Wrocław Bus line no. 406 runs to the central railway station and the central bus station every day every 20 minutes. The airport is located about 10 km from the city centre and a taxi costs about PLN40.
After Poland’s entry to the European Union and the liberalisation of the air transport market in 2004 the situation began to change. A special role was played by the mass emergence of low-cost airlines, which began to fly also to Poland. They contributed to a change in the philosophy of flying, and, from being a luxury item, air travel has become a convenient way to travel which everyone wanted to use. The aviation market in Poland has been revolutionised by EasyJet, Ryanair, SkyEurope, Centralwings and Wizz Air, though now some of these carriers no longer fly to Poland. It became clear that regional airports should be developed. The government adopted a strategy of expanding and modernising the existing civilian airports and using and adapting military, sports and service airports. The construction of new airports will be possible only after the exhaustion of the modernisation opportunities of the existing
Gdańsk
The airport is located about 40 km away from the city centre. A taxi costs more than PLN100. LOT Polish Airlines provide a shuttle bus to the city centre, which leaves 15 minutes after the landing of an aircraft. Ticket price PLN20.
The airport is located near the agglomeration called the Lubuskie Tricity (Sulechów, Zielona Góra, Nowa Sól), about 30 km from Zielona Góra, 26 km from Świebodzin, with the border crossing with Germany, and 80 km from Gorzów, the capital of the region. Currently, passenger flights are suspended.
A new start
Rzeszów The distance which separates the airport from the city centre is about 10 km. A taxi costs some PLN30.
Katowice The airport is located nearly in the centre of conurbation with a population of approximately 5.5 million people. Access to Katowice 35 km (approx. 30 minutes), to Gliwice and Zabrze 45 minutes, to Bielsko approx. 50 minutes, to Bytom approx. 25 minutes, and Tarnowskie Góry approx. 15 minutes. A taxi to Katowice costs about PLN100, and you can also use Express Bus - ticket price PLN20.
Kraków This is the only airport that has a fast rail link to and from the city centre. Departures are every half an hour. The journey takes 18 minutes. Ticket price PLN10.
Practical information on regional airports in Poland
5/2011 :: polish market :: 11