Warsaw airport celebrating 75 years

The airport in the Okęcie neighborhood of Warsaw was officialy opened on April 29, 1934 by then president Ignacy Mościcki. After being moved from an airfield on Pole Mokotowskie the new airport comprised a terminal building with a concrete apron for planes, which had been taking-off and landing on a grass runway strip. The tower was guiding planes with a spotlight, like lighthouses do. The terminal building was situated in between two hangars. In 1934, the first year of operation, the airport served 10,750 passengers. Warsaw was connected via air with 6 domestic airports and 17 airports abroad. The furthest destinations included Tel-Aviv and Beirut.


Photo found on Poszukiwanieskarbow.com

The plans of launching trans-atlantic flights were restrained by the outbreak of World War II, during which the airport was destroyed completely. In 1947 the new terminal and ATC tower were completed, along with a concrete apron and a concrete runway. At the end of 1940s Warsaw had air links with Belgrade, Berlin, Bucarest, Brussels, Copenhagen, Prague and Stockholm.


Photo found on Lotnictwo.net.pl

The new international terminal was opened in 1969. Two years later marked the first million of passengers served. The growing passenger traffic in the following yeras caused the airport authorities to move domestic flights and international arrivals into other temporary buildings. The one for international arrivals has served until recently as a terminal "Etiuda" for low-cost carriers. While former domestic terminal is serving now as a terminal for private and corporate jets.

The current Terminal 1 was opened on July 1, 1992. It included a multi-storey parking garage and a web of access roads. A part of the building was dedicated for domestic air traffic. The first arrivals onto the new terminal were flights from Athens, Bangkok and New York.

In 2001 the airport commonly known as Okęcie, for the neighberhood it is located in, was officialy named after Polish composer Frederic Chopin, and 2008 saw opening of the new Terminal 2 building. The latter is a place of an ongoing exhibition on the history of the Warsaw airport. Last year the aiport served a total of 9,436,958 passengers.

See the official website of the airport

See the airport on Google Maps

An interesting article in Polish on pre-war airport in Warsaw

Ground personnel strike in Warsaw

Wednesday's 2-hour strike at Okecie airport in Warsaw forced Polish Airlines LOT, its domestic subsidiary EuroLot and its low-cost carrier Centralwings to cancel 10 flights and caused 32 delays. Ground workers refused to check-in passengers' luggage for LOT's flights, handle checked-in luggage and issue boarding passes. Other flights departing from Warsaw were unaffected. Ground personnel that are members of 3 labor unions working for LOT Ground Services - a company dependent of LOT - demand raise in pay, a change in pension plans and bigger compensation in case of group reductions. Around 1600 union members participated in the warning strike.

A labor union of flight attendants working for LOT also threatened to perform a strike this week. They demand 30 percent raise. Polish Airlines board of directors is ready to propose 4 times less.

Warsaw airport evacuated

Domestic terminal and part of the main international departures hall had to be vacated on Monday morning when a suspicious looking motorcycle was spotted in front of the airport building. The preliminary x-ray showed wires and boxes inside the bike's trunk. However, later it was discovered that the trunk didn't contain anything dangerous. The airport could resume its regular service with delays on some international departures. The owner of the motorcycle can be fined with a parking ticket and the airport authorities can sue him for costs associated with the evacuation.
I couldn't find any information, however, on the delays and a few hour evacuation on the aiport's English version website. Passengers were really cooperative, they just wish they were put somewhere else than in the direct sunlight for a few hours.

See the pictures from a Polish newspaper