Warszawa 2011-12-22
Bemowo-Babice-Boernerowo Airport, Warsaw.
Geographic coordinates: 52.268N 20.913E. Elevation 104 m.
In 2001, the airport was abandoned by the Polish Army. At that time, the "Warszawa Babice Airport" management board was established by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Budget Department of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. As a budget entity, it cannot conduct profit-oriented business activities. The airport is still part of the defense system of the Republic of Poland. All air traffic procedures are agreed with PANSA and are (since 2001) published in the AIP Polska Integrated Airport Data Package. There is no mutual threat to Okęcie Airport and Babice Airport.
In 2005, Bemowo Airport became the second civil airport in Warsaw, used mainly by General Aviation aircraft. After Poland joined the European Union, the airport became available to arrivals from abroad and is also a border crossing, which means that customs and passport clearance takes place here. When Poland joined the Schengen area (2008), planes from the associated countries arrived unannounced. But the airport is not a commercial airport, there is no passenger check-in. There is no typical commercial traffic here.
All regulations and procedures applicable at the airport are consistent with civil aviation regulations. There are some exceptions due to law enforcement operations and these apply to this aviation only. The Ministry of Interior and Administration supervises aviation at this airport, and civil aviation is supervised by the Civil Aviation Authority. It is the only uncontrolled airport in Poland with 24-hour AFIS staff. Airport services – AFIS officers – all employees have licenses issued by the Civil Aviation Office.
However, Bemowo airport is not entered in the register of civil airports. The case was still about regulations. In 2007, a new regulation came into force regarding the preparation of airports for emergency situations and airport rescue and fire-fighting services. Then the Civil Aviation Authority found that the fire brigade employed at the airport on a full-time basis did not meet the requirements of this regulation. Therefore, another professional fire brigade must be established. The current full-time fire brigade consists of former firefighters or firefighters working in the State Fire Service. They have a fire truck with full equipment. They are equipped with a rescue hydraulic kit, spreaders, and metal cutting saws. The rescue vehicle has a tank with 6,000 liters of water with foam concentrate (all these data are published in AIP POLSKA, available to every pilot). Due to the fact that 95% of Bemowo Airport’s flights are performed by small planes, up to 2,000 kg and with a fuselage length of up to 9 m, the airport meets fire protection conditions. For the remaining 5% of aircraft, the firefighting vehicle must have four-wheel drive with appropriate acceleration. And this is the only reason why the CAA will not register the Airport in the register of civil airports. The manager wants Babice Airport in the register of civil airports.
There is no other airport in the Warsaw area that could provide training flights and so-called small aviation. Bemowo Airport is safe because 30,000 operations a year, with such a low accident rate, is a very good indicator.
Due to exceeding 10,000 operations per year, the airport was forced to install permanent noise monitoring. It has two constant noise measurement control points, so all take-offs and landings are monitored. The results are prepared once a month by a specialized company. No noise exceedances adopted for the capital city of Warsaw and the airport were found. The airport still has about 10 dB of headroom, which is a lot.
To modernize the Bemowo airport, there were two options – either to obtain money from the state budget, or by making the area available to a wider extent for use by private owners, i.e. obtaining private capital. There were institutions that wanted to modernize the runway, install a lighting system, etc. But they wanted benefits in return. The manager, as a budget entity, could propose a contract for a fixed period of up to three years, because he has such powers. The investment would make sense for investors if they could sign a contract for 20-25 years and allocate a piece of land to build a hangar and an apron.
It should be noted that Bemowo Airport was and is a point of contention between the management and the Warsaw authorities. The argument of limiting the development of the Capital is undeniable and serious. At the same time, an important but never raised argument is the socio-political impact of this airport. For 44 years (1945 – 1989) it was a symbol of Poland’s dependence on Moscow.
Since 2019, the topic of the operation of the Bemowo airport has returned, thanks to the mayor of Warsaw. Residents are told that the airport is noisy. At the same time, information is provided that no one wants to close the airport. In fact, a conflict of interest arose between pilot training companies and city hall. The city hall claims that – "Noise standards have been exceeded." As they reported; in 2016, there were 12 of them, in 2017 – 24, in 2018 – 161. Therefore, the environmental protection office in the city hall ordered to limit commercial takeoffs and landings at the Warsaw-Babice airport to 100 flight operations from the end of March 2020 per day and 10 flight operations per hour. The lobby of developers who want to develop the flight area with apartment buildings is behind the restriction of flights. Everyone knows it’s about money.
Building with a tower.
One of the characteristic and preserved buildings at Bemowo Airport is the building with a tower. Located between Fort Bema and runway No. 1. Available information shows that it did not serve as an air traffic control station, but there was an airport weather station and a radio and telephone communications center here. There was a telephone exchange here. Currently (2018) the building is located at Widawska Street. It is not used by anyone and no one knows what to do with it. The lower windows were bricked up.
There is an air traffic control tower at the airport, which was built at the end of the 1960s. The tower is located in the northern part of the flight field. There are several hangars at the Bemowo airport. They are grouped into two groups; in the eastern and western parts.
Babice Airport, Bemowo. Basic data. 2012 year.
ICAO code: EPBC. Geographic coordinates: 52°16’09.06"N, 20°54’25.98"E. ARP coordinates (WGS-84): 52°16’09"N, 20°54’26"E (521609N 0205426E). Height above sea level: 107 m (106.1 m). The airport is located 10 km from the center of the Capital.
The airport has a concrete runway 10R/28L, measuring 1,301 m x 90 m, and a grass runway 10L/28R, located parallel to it, measuring 1,000 m x 150 m. Originally, the airport had two concrete runways 5/23 dimensions 2000 m x 80 m and 10R/28L with dimensions 2500 m x 90 m. One of them was an extension of the street. Silesian Insurgents. Initially, the street road on this section was marked on the concrete surface of the runway.
The airport is administered by the Ministry of Interior and Administration, and its users also include, among others: Warsaw Aero Club and Air Ambulance Service. Warsaw – Babice Airport is a shared airport, intended for use by state aviation aircraft (law enforcement and military aircraft) and civil non-communication aviation. The airport is made available for operational activities and permanent basing on the basis of the rules specified by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration under agreements concluded by the managing body of the Warsaw-Babice airport. Making the airport available for ad hoc operational activities or periodic basing of aircraft is always based on the consent or agreement with the airport manager.
The methods and conditions of using the airport are published in the Aeronautical Information Collection – Poland (AIP-Polska) and AIP-VFR.
Characteristics of the airport foreground – From the north, the Chomiczówka housing estate with multi-family buildings and numerous plants, including the Alcelor Mittal WARSAW Steelworks. In the north/west part of the airport there is a closed municipal waste landfill, Radiowo, 74 m high (AGL). From the west and south/west Bemowo landscape park. From the south, about 100 m away, there is a housing estate of single-family houses called Boernerowo. In the south/east part of the airport there are buildings of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, the Ministry of National Defense and the multi-family housing estate of Bemowo. From the east, the Bemowo housing estate and a service, commercial and recreational center. From the north/east About 1 km from the airport border there is a Piaski housing estate with multi-family buildings.
Bemowo Airport has; fuel station, airport tugboats, hangar areas, border crossing. Payments for services covered by tariffs are made in cash or by credit card in Polish zlotys.
Address of the airport manager – Logistics Services Center "Warsaw Airport – Babice" ul. Gen. S. Kaliskiego 57, 01-476 Warszawa.
List of permanent users of the Warsaw-Babice airport (as of 2012): Police Aviation Authority GSzP KGP, Warsaw Aero Club, Aeroteka, AD ASTRA EXECUTIVE CHARTER S.A., Aviation Service Stanisław Nowakowski S.J., Baza Pożarowa, GB Aerocharter, Goldwings Flight Academy Sp. z o. o. Spółka Komandytowo-Akcyjna, Franklin Sp. z o. o., Heli Invest, Ibex U.L., Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe, Runway, VENTUM Air Sp. z o. o.
Radio Frequencies: Tower (Call Sign: BABICE INFO) 119.175 MHz. Square (Call sign: BABICE RADIO) 122.300 MHz.
The airport is the largest Polish airport used by General Aviation aircraft. The airport has been operating in this legal form since 2005, when it turned out that a second civilian airport for Warsaw was necessary.
Various special events also take place at the Airport, such as a concert of the singer Michael Jackson (1996), Madonna (2009), AC/DC (2010), or the Sonisphere Festival (2010, 2011, 2012).
Written by Karol Placha Hetman