KRK-Spot1
St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport – Spotting Guide
January 28, 2020
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February 6, 2020St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport – Spotting Guide
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February 6, 2020Kraków John Paul II Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on September 12, 2024
Kraków John Paul II Intl. Airport (KRK/EPKK) is the second largest airport in Poland and carries the name of John Paul II and is also called „Kraków-Balice” by local people. In 2023 it served 9.4 million passengers. Most of the traffic is generated by Ryanair followed by Wizzair and EasyJet. Otherwise you see the common European carriers using narrowbody aircraft. LOT offers a seasonal flights to Newark with 787.
The airport is sharing its single runway with a military transport base, so you can count on Casa C-295, PZL M-28 and Mil Mi-8 performing scheduled flights or multiple landings during training session. Military visitors also includes Polish Goverment jets, Helicopters, C-130, Mig-29, F-16 (fighters are very rare). Foreign military visits are frequently, usually with UH-60, C-130, C-17 (American/NATO) and goverment jets/props. All of this traffic is using the military apron.
Written by Łukasz Stawiarz (local spotter). Last Update December 2019.
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 07/25 | 2550m concrete |
| Terminals | One for all movements |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Depends on the location, but mostly not needed. If you use one (4-5 steps minimum), do not touch the fence, as there is electromagnetic wire causing silent alarm every time you touch the fence. |
| Car/Public Transport | You can reach the nearest locations on foot. For longer spotting or while RWY07 is in use a car is recommended as the most locations in the north (summer only) and west are difficult to reach by public transport and they requires long walking times too. Terminal can be reached easily from city by train (9PLN) or bus (5PLN). Taxi from city center costs about 50PLN. Uber is also an option. |
| Restrooms | Only at the Terminal or gas stations nearby. |
| Drinks/Food | There are some restaurants in the terminal and some small grocery stores around the airport. |
| Hotels | There is one hotel directly at airport (no apron or approach view), others are 3km away and further. |
| Season | In terms of weather we strongly recommend summer season, as in winter there can be dense clouds for many days or a lot of fog in autumn/spring. Krakow traffic is almost the same throughout the entire year with only a few summer charters and summer season connections. Bussines traffic can slightly increase on first week of September (Krynica Summit). Goverment jets can be seen at the end of Januray for celebration of the liberation of “Auschwitz- Birkenau” and during summits (rarely announced). |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Information | RWY25 is mostly used as the wind blows from west and all ILS approaches are made from east. RWY07 is used only few days per month when noticeable winds are from east and for occasional straight-in landings. |
Observation deck - taxiway, ramp
| WHERE | The official observation deck is located landside on level 2 above the check-in area. It is before the security checks so no boarding pass is needed. |
| WHAT | You can see almost all taxing aircrafts (due to works on ramp, their path can vary). New part of ramp is clearly visible (stands 1-3, 13, 17, 18, 23 and 26-36), but the old part is obstructed by airbridges (stands 4-12, 14-16, 19-21, 24-25). |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00 and by night. |
| MISC. | You have to shoot through dimmed glass (finding a sharp spot is very hard). Entrance fee is 2PLN. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-70 mm for closest stand, 50-150 mm for taxiway, 400 mm for runway. |
Terminal Airsidey - taxiway, ramp
| WHERE | Some gates have access to windows – you have to search for the best ones and try not pass the security tapes. Schengen gates 1-12 almost exclusively after boarding, non-schengen gates 13 (S or NS), 14 and 18 have waiting areas near windows. |
| WHAT | You can see stands close to terminal and a taxiway. A lot of obstructions on ramp disturbs further view. Ryanair below taken from gate 3. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00 and by night. |
| MISC. | Some arrivals and departures are handled without buses and you can take photos on the way to/from terminal. Bus drivers are friendly and do not prohibit photos if you stay close to other passengers and not try to hide 🙂 |
| FOCAL LENGTH | XXX |
Multistorey carpark - ramp
| WHERE | There is a multistorey carpark in front of terminal. Just get out of it and get on the uppermost level. |
| WHAT | It used to be good photo location for ramp shots, but expansion of terminal made it almost obsolete. You can still see runway operations from here, but ramp is highly obstructed. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00. |
| MISC. | Safety net prevents from making good photos – there a few holes between segments. Security checks are possible. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 400 mm for runway, ramp obstructed. |
Aviation Education Centre - ramp, taxiway, 25 departures
| WHERE | If you go out of theterminal, turn left and walk east, then north. You will reach the end of airport buildings. The last one is the “CEL – Centrum Edukacji Lotniczej” where you can use its parking (line 4A) or move slightly north by the fence (line 4B). There is no car access to the company parking, but you can leave your car outside on the other side of the road for short while. |
| WHAT | View over the ramp and taxiway with almost all departures (RWY25) taxing nearby. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 12:00. |
| MISC. | Ladder required if you don’t want to shoot through fence. This is the one available point for night shots. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-105 mm for ramp, 70-200 mm for taxiway, 100-400 mm for bizjets and stands further away. |
Gate 25 - 25 arrivals, 07 departures, taxiway A
| WHERE | If you go north from point 4 you will reach an open area under RWY25 approach along road 774 “Na Lotinsko” which is parallel to the motorway. This is the last location with easy access on foot from the terminal. Parking for a while is possible at the nearby bus stop (on the side of the road it is forbidden). |
| WHAT | RWY25 landings, RWY07 departures (easyJet) and TWY A (Detur, Lufthansa). |
| TIME | All time but best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00. After that you have to move north of the approach (OLT Express). For TWY shots best light conditions from sunrise to 11:00. |
| MISC. | Ladder required if you don’t want to shoot TWY through fence (Lufthansa is made through the crash gate). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200 mm for approach, 100-200 mm for taxiway, depends on angle and place. |
Spotting hill - 25 arrivals, 07 departures
| WHERE | The most famous spotting point is located on the other side of the motorway and spot 5. You can reach it from the previous spot by walking north, then turning right below the highway to reach the other side and then go back down. Car access to the small Spacerowa Street next to the spot is not possible – you have to leave it at commercial parkings or nearby. Bus stop is at Krakowska/Spacerowa crossing. There is a lot of space to move around and pick your best angle. We recommend moving by “line 6” up to top of the hill – view is really nice from there and there is no highway noise. |
| WHAT | View over the whole airport. RWY25/07 landings/departures, TWY A/B, part of civil and military apron. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00. After that you have to move north of the approach. For TWY from sunrise to 11:00. |
| MISC. | Do not cross “Airport property” signs as police is a frequent visitor here. Twice a year, sun is setting directly over the runway creating amazing light conditions. For a week around that, you can find here a lot of photographers trying to catch the best shot. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-200 mm for approach, 100-400 mm for taxiway, depends on angle and place. |
Bridge Mostek - all runway movements
| WHERE |
From spot 5 go north and then take the next left after you are on the other side of the airport. This one is the furthest you can walk from terminal and it is located near a bridge over highway. You can use bridge and its bank or the mound which is left after some construction works. This is the first point with easy access by car – you can park on dirt nearby or on the old road ahead (near mound).
|
| WHAT |
View over the whole airport – runway, taxiways and aprons. It is the best point for just watching movements, as you can see everything. On clear days even with the Tatra Mountains as backdrop.
|
| TIME |
Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means, that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all.
|
| MISC. |
Be careful of the traffic and stay behind metal barrier or on the mound.
|
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm for B737/A321 |
Motorway Parking Kibel - all runway movements
| WHERE | There is a parking on the south side of the motorway A4. Access to the parking is only by car if coming from the west after the toll station. It is possible to climb over the fence from point 7 but not recomended. |
| WHAT | Similar as point 7 but with different angles on landings RWY25. View over whole airport – runway, taxiways and aprons. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Restrooms at the parking available. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm for B737/A321 |
Dirt Road - 07 arrivals, 25 departures
| WHERE | Easiest access is by car by using the road from the terminal where you will pass positions 5 and 7. Don’t use the motorway as there is no exit to this location. In Aleksandrowice turn south and turn left after you have passed the highway. There is a dirt road parallel to highway – you can drive up the hill (high suppension or 4×4 only) or leave car at bottom as marked on the map. |
| WHAT | View over end of runway and military apron. Best for departures from 25 or landings on 07. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Ladder necessary, you have about 1km of fence to pick your best spot. Stay away from fence and do not touch it (as it is a bit lower than ground few meters away and has alarm cable installed). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200mm for B737/A321 |
Billboard - 07 arrivals, 25 departures
| WHERE | UNGENAU Old spotting point and alternative to previous location if you don´t have much time. Can be used as emergency point if traffic is on final or already departing and you do not have time to go somewhere else.From road in Aleksandrowice you have to turn into dirt road to nothing. Park at the end and go up near the billboard. |
| WHAT | Best for departures from 25 or landings on 07 (but view can be obscured by growing trees). |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position.Vegetation can block the sight. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 250mm for B737/A321 |
Approach Parth - 07 arrivals, 25 departures
| WHERE | There is a dirt road parallel to wester perimeter fence of the airport. Park your car at north or south end of it and pick your position depending on sun position and focal length. Same way to the location like to number 9. |
| WHAT | Best for departures from 25 or landings on 07. Taxiways/apron not visible. |
| TIME | All day, as you can move south/north of the approach line. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Nothing nearby. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300 depending on angle and position. |
Logistik Centre - 07 arrivals, 25 departures
| WHERE | There is an industrial area near 07 approach and the previous location, just a little bit more to the east on the next road. Just park your car here and find your prefered position. |
| WHAT | Best for “face to face” departures from 25 or landings on 07 in evening. Taxiways/apron not visible. |
| TIME | Face 2 face almost all day, landing/departures after 18:00. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. There are some “no park” areas. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200 departures/landings, 100-400 for departures |
Cementary - 07 arrivals, 25 departures
| WHERE | Driving further east to Morawica and park near the cementary and climb up the hill with the monument. |
| WHAT | Nice view but planes are too far for good photos. Best for departures from 25 or landings on 07 in evening. Taxiways visible in distance, apron too far away. |
| TIME | Best after 18:00. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400 recommended |
No sample photos available.
U Jędrusia - 07 arrivals
| WHERE | If you pass through Morawica in direction of Cholerzyn, turn left at the end of buildings into a farm road to the airport (see line on the map). Park on the left or right on the whole road and find a suitable place to take your pictures along this road. |
| WHAT | Only for arrivals on 07. Departures from 25 can be to high here – point 11 is better) |
| TIME | best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Good point for a quick spotting, as you can sit in a car and go out just for photos. Better than point 16 for arrivals on 07 – no heat haze here. There is a tree/bush line between road and field, but you can find clear passage and take photos from the shadow of them. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-150 depending on position and aircraft – if you move to left you are closer to aircraft. In the middle you get B737 on 100mm. More to the right, further they are. |
U chłopa - all runway movements
| WHERE | From point 14 continue to the east for just a few hundred meters and park as marked on the map at the corner of the airport perimeter fence. You can even park at point 11 and walk down to this area on a dirt road. Then go up the field to the fence. Do not go near the private houses and try to stay on airport ground near the fence. |
| WHAT | All runway action is visible (only some landings at 25 can vacate via taxiway Delta). When RWY07 is in use, you get 90 degree landings in front of you and departing airplanes on taxiway Foxtrot (sun after 12:00). Landings on RWY25 are usually vacating via F. Departures from RWY25 can be taken without ladder. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00 (taxiway Foxtrot after 12:00). |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Ladder required if you don’t want to shoot through fence. Close to private property – watch your steps! Do not touch the fence (alarm cable). Security patrol can stop to ask you some questions. Beware of the annoying dog that can go out and bark. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-70 for taxiway, 70-300 for runway action. |
Foxtrot - all runway movements, taxiway F/B and B/F
| WHERE | From the parking of point 15 continue further east. After passing three houses (do not park here) go about 100m and turn left on the grass behind the trees (you will see clear path made by our cars ). Park here and walk up the hill on right side of the field. You can’t reach this point from #15 by foot! |
| WHAT | All runway action visible (only some landings at 25 can vacate via taxiway Delta). Taxing F-B and B-F close to you. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from 09:00 to 17:00. |
| MISC. | A car is recommended to reach this position. Ladder required (minimum three steps) as there is double fence here. That was usedto be the second best spotting point until there was only meadow around this area. Now it is cultivated and you CAN NOT enter it when plants are growing. But you can use right side of the field or stay close to airport fence (five steps ladder required). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200 for taxiway F, 100-300 for runway action. |
Balice hill - 25 arrivals
| WHERE | This is a bit far away from the previous locations. From spot #6 donctinue northwards on 774 for approximate one kilometer (pass the motorway) and turn left at next bigger junction. Now you have to find the church in “Balice” (left side) and from there drive up Urocza Street. At top turn left and park.
|
| WHAT | You will see approach for RWY25 over Kracow, civil apron and some runway. Everything will be in distance, but you have elevated view. With good visibility, Tatra Mountains as backdrop |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | This point is actually better for watching the amazing overview of airport and surroundings than taking photos, but if you have time it is worth visiting for a moment. Car is recommended. Ladder will help a bit. Due to recent development of private houses, this point is now hard to spot from. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Minimum 400mm required. |
Colza fields - 25 departures
| WHERE | On the road Balice-Aleksandrowice (between spots 7 and 10) turn right almost in the middle and then drive up on a tight road. Turn right at the end and park when you pass the trees. Behave well as there is “no entry” sign to this road. |
| WHAT | You will be elevated and see part of the runway with departing airplanes. On clear days even with the Tatra Mountains as backdrop. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | This point is actually better for watching the amazing overview of airport and surroundings than taking photos, but if you have time it is worth visiting for a moment. Car neccessary. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Minimum 300-400mm required. |
No sample photos available.
Aleksandrowice hill - 07 arrivals
| WHERE | On the road Balice-Aleksandrowice (between spots 7 and 10) turn right almost in the middle and then drive up on a tight road. Before the end turn left and park at the end of tarmac. Then you have to walk up the hill and to the high trees on the left. |
| WHAT | There are some free spaces in between the trees from where you can spot departing airplanes with a nice backdrop of villages, as you are high above the plane. |
| TIME | Best light conditions from sunrise to 08:30 and from 17:30 to sunset as this is north side of the runway. This means that from mid October to mid March you do not have sun at all. |
| MISC. | This point is hardest to reach but views from there in summer evenings are amazing. Car is neccessary to get there! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Minimum 400mm required. |
Tower access road - Ramp
| WHERE | From the terminal, turn west and walk through parking lot and at the end there turn right towards the tower. By car – use parking lot P2 and walk towards. The spot is actually a 200m long part along the fence where you can choose your favourite position. |
| WHAT | Aircrafts parking on new part of ramp and taxing to/from ramp. |
| TIME | In the afternoon. |
| MISC. | The fence is low enough to put lens between fence and barbwire above, but do not use ladders as this is airport property. Do not block road. Follow instructions from Airport Security. Plus heat haze will be an issue for stands in distance. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | From 24 mm for nearest stand up to 400mm for taxing in the distance. |
American Airlines is not operating as for now, probably not in 2023, so can be removed from info. Rescue copter is no longer operating from EPKK, can be also removed. Current traffic is back to 2019.
On the airport web page it says that at the moment due to Covid-19 only staff, passengers and their assistants where needed can get access to the terminal. As the entrance to the viewing deck is via the terminal I would guess that is not accessible for now.