Modlin Airport
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected new airport. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the construction and/or completion of the airport approaches, and as more information becomes available on it. |
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| Modlin Airport port lotniczy Warszawa-Modlin |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: EPMO | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military (disused) | ||
| Owner | Port Lotniczy Mazowsze Warszawa-Modlin Sp. z o.o. | ||
| Operator | Port Lotniczy Mazowsze Warszawa-Modlin Sp. z o.o. | ||
| Serves | Warsaw | ||
| Location | Modlin, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 104 m / 341 ft | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 08/26 | 2,500 | 8,202 | Asphalt |
| Source: DAFIF[1] | |||
Modlin Airport (ICAO: EPMO) is a disused military airfield, with plans for conversion into a passenger airport for low-cost carriers serving the Warsaw, Poland market. The airport is located 35 km north of the city centre near the village of Modlin in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki.
Originally designed as a military facility in the Second Polish Republic, construction commenced in 1937, although it actually opened in 1940 for Luftwaffe. Between 1945 and 2000 it was used by Polish and Soviet air forces. In 2000 the Polish Ministry of National Defence declared the airfield surplus.[2] Subsequently, much of its original area was made available as capital in a joint management limited liability company created to run the future airport, Port Lotniczy Mazowsze Warszawa-Modlin Sp. z o.o.
The airport features one asphalt runway in poor condition and lacking navigation lighting and modern radio aids such as ILS, 2500 m long and 60 m wide at the altitude of 104 m[1].
Plans call for converting the airport to civilian use, primarily as a replacement for the Etiuda terminal serving low-cost carriers at the Warsaw's main Okęcie airport, an idea which emerged in the early 2000s[3]. Numerous projected opening dates have slipped repeatedly[4] , and a new business plan with extensive infrastructure improvements, including building a new passenger terminal, was put forth in 2007. However, as of March 2008, no actual construction work has commenced, only signing various documents and carrying out environmental assessments.[5] The latest schedule, announced in February 2008[6] [7] has the airport finally open for business in early 2010, complete with a rail connection, and initially serving 1.5 million passengers annually. A new 5 km rail spur branching off from the existing Warsaw-Gdynia mainline will be built, allegedly allowing 30-minute commute to Warsaw centre, after railroad improvements have been made. Currently, chiefly owing to the technical limitations of the railbed and the use of outdated rolling stock, the journey from Modlin Station to a northern railway terminal in Warsaw, Warszawa Gdańska, takes twice as long.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Airport information for EPMO at World Aero Data. Source: DAFIF.
- ^ History of Modlin Aerodrome. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ . Dec. 2004: The new airport could open as early as June 2005. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Jan, 2007: The new airport in Modlin is scheduled to open in October 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Krzysztof Smietana, "Z Modlina polecimy dopiero w 2010 roku", Gazeta.pl, 21 December 2007. Link accessed 2008-03-06. (Polish)
- ^ Feb 2008: Modlin airport expected to start operating in 1Q2010. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. (Polish)
- ^ "Flying in to Modlin" in Polish Market Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
