Among thirteen regional Polish airports, Katowice Airport currently has the most developed infrastructure meant for aircraft maintenance. Currently, there are three hangars at Katowice Airport which collectively have an area of 22.2 thousand m2 and a cubage of 287 thousand m3.
On 7 July 2022 (Thursday), the third aircraft maintenance hangar was put into service at Katowice Airport. The expansion of the aircraft maintenance base at Katowice Wojciech Korfanty Airport was divided into two tasks. The first one consisted of the construction of a new 6.4 ha aircraft apron with nine stands for medium range aircraft the size on Airbus A320/Boeing 737 which are referred to as C-Code aicraft. This task was completed at the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The second part included the construction of the third hangar. The project began in the second quarter of 2021 and took twelve months to finish. Promus Ruda Śląska Sp. z o.o. was the main contractor. The new hangar is the biggest building of its kind at Katowice Airport; it has an area of over 9.2 thousand m2 and a cubage of over 122 thousand m3. The new hangar is 17.6 metres high, the main four-winged gate is 88 metres long. The essential part of the building consists of two bays, each capable of holding an Airbus A321neo. There are numerous storage rooms, tool rooms and workshops, e.g. a paintshop, located in the building. In addition, the building has rich social and office facilities. The third hangar is leased by Wizz Air.
Robert Carey, the President of Wizz Air, said: “Katowice Airport is where Wizz Air’s history began. Our first flight took place from Katowice to London-Stansted in 2004. Since then, the airline has handled over 270 million passengers and expanded its fleet to 157 Airbus A320, A321ceo and A321neo aircraft. Thanks to a young and modern fleet, passengers flying with Wizz Air have the lowest fares, while leaving the smallest environmental footprint per passenger-kilometre.”
“We have successfully co-operated with Katowice Airport for 18 years now. We appreciate the professionalism and experience of Katowice Airport and GTL SA, thanks to which this impressive investment was carried out, in spite of the pandemic. For Wizz Air, it means next opportunities to grow. We believe that the launch of the newest hangar, in which Wizz Air will have aircraft maintenance performed, is the next step in strengthening co-operation between our companies, and it says a lot about our involvement in Katowice.”
Among thirteen regional Polish airports, Katowice Airport currently has the most developed infrastructure meant for aircraft maintenance. Currently, there are three hangars at Katowice Airport which collectively have an area of 22.2 thousand m2 and a cubage of 287 thousand m3. All in all, there are six bays available, allowing to serve C-Code aircraft. Organizations which specialize in aircraft maintenance (MRO), based on the existing hangar infrastructure, offer many services at Katowice Airport, ranging from line maintenance checks which take a couple of hours, quick replacement of turbofan jet engines, to complex C Checks and D Checks, which may take even a couple of weeks.
“I am proud that – despite the biggest crisis in the aviation industry – our determination and consistency let us successfully finish this project, one which is important for the development of Katowice Airport. The third hangar means new jobs, it’s the next step in the process of diversifying the infrastructure and creating a multifunctional airport at Katowice Airport; it also strengthens the synergy between business and education, because students at the Silesian University of Technology are being educated to work for companies specializing in aircraft maintenance. Despite a truly difficult time for the aviation industry, it was possible to carry out this investment, one which was worth over PLN 110 million gross and consisted of the construction of the third hangar and an aircraft apron in front of it, thanks to the experience and professionalism of the entire GTL SA team, the professionalism of contractors, as well as trust of our Company’s shareholders, and the support of PKO BP bank, all of whom I wish to thank,” said Artur Tomasik, the President of the Board of GTL SA.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
