Poznań–Ławica Airport

Poznań–Ławica Henryk Wieniawski Airport (IATA: POZ, ICAO: EPPO), built in 1913, is one of the oldest airports in Poland. It is located 5 km (3.1 mi) west^[2] of Poznań city centre. It takes its name from the neighborhood of Ławica, part of the city's Grunwald district, while the airport actually lies in the Jeżyce district.

Poznań–Ławica Henryk Wieniawski Airport Port Lotniczy Poznań–Ławica im. Henryka Wieniawskiego
IATA: POZ ICAO: EPPO
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Poznań Ławica Airport Ltd.
Serves	Poznań
Location	Poznań, Poland
Focus city for	Buzz (Ryanair)
Elevation AMSL	94 m / 308 ft
Coordinates	52°25′16″N 016°49′35″E
Website	poznanairport.pl
Map
Poznań Location of airport in Poland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,504 8,215 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Number of passengers 2,789,962 Aircraft movements 34,966
Source: Polish Poznan Airport at Poznan Airport[1]

Synopsis

The northern section has been used as a military airport since its inception in 1913 as an Imperial German airbase until 23 December 2009.^[3] The southern section is used for civilian purposes. The prospect of relocating the airport elsewhere is often raised as a result of the flight path to the runway being located directly over the city.

The airport caters for international, domestic and cargo flights and general aviation. A new terminal was opened in 2012 and can handle up to 3.5 million passengers per year.^[4]

Confusion with Poznań–Krzesiny military airport

Poznań–Ławica airport has been confused by pilots with a nearby airbase, Poznań–Krzesiny Airbase (ICAO code: EPKS), which also has a 2,500 m (8,200 ft) runway. The runways are at approximately the same orientation: Ławica's is 11/29 (true heading: 108/288) and Krzesiny's is 12/30 (true heading: 117.9/297.9). The two runways lie in a nearly straight line, with Krzesiny coming up first on approaches from the east, the ones used most often. On the other hand, the Krzesiny airbase has two runways and lies southeast from the city centre, while Poznań–Ławica lies just west of it.

One notable incident involving confusion between Ławica and Krzesiny happened on 15 August 2006, when a Sky Airlines aircraft - a Boeing 737-800 running flight number SKY335 - mistook the runway at Krzesiny for the one being used in Ławica, landing at the military base by accident.^[5] The aircraft later took off on a repositioning flight to the correct airfield.

According to Krzysztof Krawcewicz, a pilot and the editor-in-chief of the Polish monthly Przegląd Lotniczy/Aviation Revue, this was at least the seventh mistaken aircraft that landed at the Poznań–Krzesiny airfield in 2006 alone. He faults, among others, the "scandalous procedures which are in use by the air traffic control at Poznań–Ławica" and the lack of radar use in controlling aircraft landing, which, although a radar system is present at Ławica, has been shut off, most likely due to the nearby military base.^[6]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Poznań–Ławica Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Buzz	Seasonal charter: Tirana[7][better source needed]
Enter Air	Seasonal charter: Antalya,[8] Burgas, Corfu,[9] Enfidha,[8] Fuerteventura,[8] Girona,[9] Hurghada,[9] Varna,[8] Zanzibar[10]
flydubai	Dubai–International[11]
KLM[12]	Amsterdam[13]
LOT Polish Airlines[14]	Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa	Frankfurt,[15] Munich[15]
Neos	Seasonal charter: Nosy Be[16]
Pegasus Airlines[9]	Seasonal charter: Antalya
Ryanair[17][18]	Alicante,[19] Beauvais,[19] Bergamo,[19] Birmingham,[19] Bristol,[19] Charleroi,[19] Copenhagen,[20] Cork,[21] Dublin,[19] Edinburgh,[19] Kraków,[22] Leeds/Bradford,[19] Liverpool,[19] London–Stansted,[19] Malaga,[20] Malta,[19] Manchester,[23] Paphos,[24] Prague,[25] Rome–Ciampino,[26] Sandefjord,[26] Stockholm–Arlanda,[19] Tel Aviv,[27] Thessaloniki,[28] Tirana (begins 30 March 2026),[29] Treviso,[30] Valencia[31] Seasonal: Amman–Queen Alia,[32] Bari,[33] Burgas,[33] Cagliari,[34] Chania,[26] Corfu,[19] Dubrovnik,[35] Girona,[19] Lisbon,[26][36] Palermo,[37] Palma de Mallorca,[38] Pula,[39] Zadar[19]
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen[40]
SkyUp	Seasonal charter: Hurghada,[41] Sharm El Sheikh[41]
Smartwings	Seasonal charter: Bodrum,[42][43] Chania,[44] Heraklion,[42] Hurghada,[44] Izmir,[42] Rhodes,[44] Thessaloniki,[44] Tirana[45]
Wizz Air[46]	Kutaisi,[47] London–Luton, Rome–Fiumicino[48] Seasonal: Tirana,[49] Verona[50]

Statistics

Check-in hall

Apron view

Busiest Routes from Poznań Airport (2024) ^[51]

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Change 2023 / 24
1.	Antalya (AYT)	271,455	20,4%
2.	London-Stansted (STN)	175,027	11,5%
3.	London-Luton (LTN)	155,513	20,0%
4.	Warsaw-Chopin (WAW)	149,827	11,2%
5.	Frankfurt (FRA)	129,819	10,1%
6.	Munich (MUC)	122,278	26,0%
7.	Bergamo (BGY)	107,749	64,1%
8.	Hurghada (HRG)	100,542	84,3%
9.	Dublin (DUB)	78,146	2,9%
10.	Beauvais (BVA)	72,182	82,0%

Annual passenger traffic at POZ airport. See Wikidata query.

Incidents and accidents

• On 10 June 1952, a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber from the 21st Reconnaissance Regiment took off from Ławica air base for a training flight, but crashed shortly thereafter near the Warta river as a result of engine failure. The crash killed the bomber's crew: chorąży Zdzisław Lara (pilot), chorąży Stanisław Kuć (navigator) and corporal Józef Bednarek (rear gunner/radio operator), as well as six civilians on the ground. Due to the fact that the aircraft was made in the Soviet Union, the crash was covered up by the Communist authorities and the official reports put the blame on the pilot instead of equipment. In 2008, a monument was unveiled at the crash site.^[52]

Public ground transportation

Poznań transit (MPK Poznań) lines number 159 and 222 stop at the arrival area of the airport and provide a connection to Poznań Główny railway station. The trip takes approximately 20 minutes. There is also a bus stop for 148 nearby.^[53]

See also

• List of airports in Poland
• Air ambulances in Poland