Early years

The current location of Katowice Airport was initially used by the German air force. In the early 1940, the Luftwaffe began construction of an airbase in the meadows around Pyrzowice. One medium hangar, and three stone and concrete airstrips were built, with the runway lengths varying between 1,000 and 1,500 meters, and around 50 meters wide. The airbase was used for handling of military aircraft flying from the inner part of the German Reich, carrying supplies to troops on the Eastern Front.In the final phase of World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket-powered aircraft were tested here. Following General Ernst Udet's (a Luftwaffe flying ace) death in 1941, the airfield was named Udetfeld

After the Red Army's advance in early 1945, the Soviet air forces gained the control of the airfield. In 1948, the Soviets handed the airbase over to the Polish Air Force. It was then used by the 39th Fighter Regiment, created on 17 April 1951.

A new runway was built in 1964. Soon after, the first-ever regular passenger traffic started, with a LOT Polish Airlines place taking off for Warsaw on 6 October 1966. By the end of 1969, a small passenger terminal was built (550 m2 (5,900 sq ft)), together with a taxiway and an apron.

This runway has since been replaced by a new adjacent one (3,200 m (10,500 ft)), completed in May 2015.

Development since the 1990s

In 1991, Górnośląskie Towarzystwo Lotnicze (The Upper Silesian Aviation Group) was established and in 1994, it became the operator of Pyrzowice Airport. International service from Pyrzowice commenced on 27 March 1993, when Lufthansa started its daily service to Frankfurt Airport.

Poland's admission to the European Union has supercharged airport's growth. The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air chose Katowice for its first base, with their inaugural flight taking off for London Luton. Other low-cost airlines, as well as charter airlines, followed. In 2007, a second terminal (Terminal B) for Schengen flights opened, and in 2015 an arrivals-only Terminal C was completed. Also in 2015, a new runway, which is the second-longest runway in Poland at 3,200 metres (10,500 ft), was completed.

Future plans include the construction of a completely new passenger terminal, a further expansion of the recently built cargo terminal, and a new railway connection.