Kraków-Balice Airport is one of the largest and most important airports in Poland, located about 11 km west of the centre of Kraków. It is an airport that serves numerous domestic and international connections, providing convenient access to many destinations. Unfortunately, its location means that the airport often struggles with fog-related issues, especially during the autumn and winter months. Fog significantly hampers the landing and take-off of aircraft, leading to delays and flight diversions.
On this page, you will read about our journey from Kraków to EMA, which we undertook on 29/12/2024.
From media reports, we already knew about the problems at Kraków airport a day before our departure. Almost all flights on 28/12 were cancelled or redirected to other airports, such as Katowice, Wrocław, or Ostrava. Therefore, we were monitoring the weather forecasts and the situation at the airport.
On the day of departure, we got up before 6 in the morning and started by checking the situation at the airport. It was good, the planes were landing! Let's go!
Our optimism somewhat waned during the drive to the airport. In the picture, the A4 motorway, moments before the toll booths near Krakow airport.
A moment later, however, we spotted the planes taxiing to the runway through the fog. (In Kraków, the airport is very close to the motorway)
At the airport, the traffic was as usual. However, there were announcements about buses being provided for passengers of one of the diverted flights. We went through security checks and then crossed the national border. We set up Camp No. 1 around 8 in the morning and monitored the situation on the boards. Additionally, we checked information online.
At the airport, many people waited all night, some slept on benches.
Several planes have landed, a few have taken off. We checked online - our flight is still on its way to Krakow - everything looks fine. In the airport shop, we bought some water and other alcoholic drinks. It will be alright.!
And suddenly, unexpectedly, at 9:08 it arrived: a text message from Ryanair
There were already crowds of people at the airport. It became noisy. No one knew anything, there was no one to ask. The atmosphere started to become tense. There were no new updates on the boards.
We returned to the shop to pack the purchased alcohol in special bags! It's an important step that many people forget in such situations.
Only after a while did the message about the change of airport appear on the boards.
We were directed to gate 18. As usual, when we board the plane. The airport staff checked the tickets but did not scan them. They just wanted to make sure there would be no mistakes.
After leaving the terminal, we were directed to... arrivals. We had to cross the national border again.
Remember that when you show your passport at the airport, you are crossing the national border; in a sense, the departure area is already abroad! Therefore, we had to formally "return to the country."
People who checked in their luggage had to collect it from the carousel - just like after arrival.
We went out in front of the airport and quickly found the right buses. After checking our tickets and taking our seats, we set off on our journey to Katowice. In the picture, the gates on A4 are shown. The arrow points to the airport. When the weather is good, you can see planes taking off there.
It was enough to drive a short distance from Kraków to see how the weather had changed:
We arrived in Katowice in just under an hour at 10:15. The weather was beautiful, and we did not record any disruptions in the airport's operations.
We passed through security control. Thanks to packing the alcohol purchased in Kraków in special bags, we were able to take it with us. For the second time today, we crossed the national border. We set up camp number 2. As it turned out later, we spent almost 3 hours there!
There was no information on the airport boards regarding the departure time. No one could provide information on when our flight would leave... or if it would at all. We received an email from Ryanair informing us that the departure would be at 13:00. Since 10 in the morning, the boards have displayed the same information about the scheduled departure time: 9:40.!
The situation was becoming increasingly tense. No one knew anything, no one could provide any information. In the meantime, passengers of the cancelled flight... from yesterday! began to prepare for departure! People had spent almost 20 hours at the airport!
After another 10 minutes, the first change - new goal numbers!
only to make another change a few minutes later:
The airport in Katowice has once again confirmed its low level of passenger service.
Finally, the first voice announcements appeared. Boarding started at 14:00. We boarded the plane using the airport bus.
Upon boarding, the pilot informed us that the plane had been waiting for us at the airport since 9 am!
Finally, we took off at 14:30! We arrived at EMA airport without any problems, although four hours later than we had planned..
And on a different note - while monitoring the situation on Flightradar24, we noticed a Wizz Air plane circling over the airport in Kraków. The plane took off from KTW and attempted to land in KRK. It flew for almost 3 hours before finally returning to Katowice. The media even reported on the matter, for example, Gazeta Wyborcza.
