Modlin airport in Poland - closed again!

Be warned -especially if you are travelling with children! Modlin has experienced severe fog in the last two months. As a frequent traveller between London and Warsaw I have now stopped booking and using Modlin because of the very frequent fog delays. In the last few weeks Modlin arriving and departing flights have been diverted to Okęcie because of severe fog problems. Today is no exception - flights diverted to Warsaw 'proper'.

Low cost carriers treat passengers in a really bad way during delayed flights and taking a train out to Modlin to then be taken by coach to WAW Okecie is not the ideal way of travelling 'low cost', especially if you live in central Warsaw. I've now cancelled my Wizzair bookings for November.

Has the Polish press reported on what really is a bit of a PR disaster for Wizzair and Ryanair? One-off fog is one thing, but the location of Modlin airport = a winter of problems.

If you do get caught in the mess, take some provisions as Wizzair and Ryanair provide almost no assistance.

Agreed. If you can book well in advance, use Okęcie.

Also book with BA rather than LOT - they are usually cheaper. Sometimes very good advance deals, and the first few seats to go on sale in Buisiness Class are often only a few quid more than Economy.

It is not so much a matter of location, but because Modlin has no ILS at all.

Krakow was shut again yesterday by Fog, as it was several days last week. Visibility was less than 50m.

I don't think an ILS will help with that. Frankfurt was also closed, I think.

It can do - ILS cat. IIIb allows no decision height and as little as 50m visibility - but - well - Modlin only has a cat. I ILS at the moment and will probably never have better than a cat. II one.

Interestingly, the Boeing 737 isn't certified for anything more than cat. IIIa.


It's a problem all over Poland at the minute - Poznan-Lawica has been closed on numerous occasions too. The fog has been shockingly bad - several times, I've found myself with less than 200m visibility when driving.

The fog in Krakow was so bad this morning my flight was cancelled.

Modlin has no ILS at all, it is only in the planning stage.



WizzAir thinks about returning to Okęcie...

the fog i bad everywhere because it is too warm during this time of the year.

As I said, visibility at Krakow was less than 50m.


Cat 2 needs 350 meters.

Modlin airstrip needs rebuilding

Another 'success story' of PO and PSL government -


the airfield will be closed until at least summer

could we have a short summary in english, but not as short as the nine words provided. thank you.

Not that the failed PiS regime that preceded them managed to get a second airport built. They were probably too busy fighting over bribes.

i fail to see why the government
is responsible
for the failures of a private company

the success of the government is making sure that the airfield got closed
before another polish tragedy

Exactly. No cover-up, no lies, no feeble excuses. They rightly closed the dump and are addressing the problem.

we all know
that PiS would have blamed russians
or someone else
rather than just taking responsibility and closing the damn place

not a fan of okecie too actually
that walk from the train to the terminal is a joke
i arrived at one of the gates at the far left end of the terminal a few weeks ago
and had to walk a long long wa to get my bags
not good

They could have done that a bit better, especially in a country that's icy cold in winter and at an airport where people arrive coatless from hot countries!


It woz The Enemy Within wot did it ;-)

will it eventually be connected inside or not?

i really dont like the check in area as well
it seems they dumped some desks in the middle of a big room

wroclaw is currently my favourite polish airport
although the old one was hilariously bad

I doubt it.

Not a bad airport when you're airside though.

agreed
doesnt feel stressful at all

does modlin have any facilities to speak of?

In a word, no. On a par with a small town bus station in the UK.

crikey

maybe its better that its closed then

Really, they should have contracted the whole thing (construction and operation) to a European firm with experience of setting up low-cost airports. Basically, to somebody who can do it properly.

the problem with that approach
ryanair and wizzair are somewhat in cahoots
and probably negotiated a hell of a deal to use modlin

wouldnt be any cash for outsourcing after that !

what they couldve done
i suppose

would be to actually allow ryanair and wizzair to operate it directly

Poland Modlin airport closed till summer

Modlin airstrip actually needs rebuilding - the link states that it's gonna be closed till the end of March but other sources in Polish state that it's probable that it will be closed till vacations.

Modlin airport was an invention of Masovia voievodship governed jointly by PO and PSL - the sources in Polish state that the surface of the airstrip produced concrete chips throughout the airstrip which is a sign of low quality concrete

Interestingly the building contractors Erbud are no strangers to PiS and were very active during the failed PiS regime.

More interestingly, you see nothing wrong with rampant incompetence and corruption of the failing PO regime and would like to divert the discussion from the issue at hand. It is PO government inspectors who certified the clearly substandard job at Modlin. Now the show will start over. More taxpayer money to be passed around PO buddies and soon Modlin Airport will be the most expensive airstrip in Europe. Maybe it can top the National Stadium job( any time there is a football game you need to put new turf), or the most expensive roads in Europe that just cannot be built under this administration. Do say something interesting about the Warsaw Metro or the tunnel fiasco under this government. (BTW, interesting means not whether the ex PZPR freak will get one of the most important jobs in gov't).

That's one thing they're remarkably free of compared to the clowns that preceeded them.

Right, Modlin Airport Scam is the example of this government's good planning, ingenuity and competence. First of all, it is completely unnecessary. I learned to fly Cessnas on an airport with more traffic than Chopin Airport and with it's new terminal and shuttle from the city center it could serve well enough city this size.

Then, there is no direct shuttle to the Modlin Airport from Warsaw. You have to take a train and then catch a bus. That is hardly good planning for a brand new airport serving all tourist destinations. Two kids, third in a stroller, luggage, and a nightmare before you get to the airport.

Now, the runway. Surface too thin and substandard materials. Certified to PO specifications. Those specs state that there is no money to be made in an honest job well done the first time. Słomiana inwestycja straight out of Miś.

Most investments under this administration are done this way. Change is coming our way though. The lemmings are starting to wake up and it won't be long before they will turn on PO.

Modlin Airport is now open and ready for pax. Ryanair is operating there.