Szczytno-Szymany International Airport
Encyclopedia
Szczytno-Szymany International Airport is a currently inoperative Polish
regional airport
located in the village Szymany, some 10 km from the center of the city of Szczytno
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
in the North of Poland
. It is the only airport in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. As of 2007 the airport does not have any year-round scheduled service,
and in fact is not open for traffic. When active, it catered mostly to general aviation
, charter flights and seasonally scheduled connections in the summer. It used to have scheduled passenger service to Warsaw
.
The airport is situated 56 kilometres to the south of Olsztyn, at the border with more densely populated Mazowsze region. There are also other larger towns (50- 60 thousand) in the 60 kilometres distance of this airport, such as Mława, Ciechanów, Ostrołęka. This airport has in its catchment area a population of 2- 2,5 million people in both voivodeships.
In order to provide an easy access, it is planned to introduce a rail link to this airport, using the rail branch to the airport, tendering procedure for the upgrade of the rail line was announced. A journey time to the centre of Olsztyn would amount to 45- 50 minutes if the rail infrastructure to the airport would be upgraded. Such airport link is being prepared by the authorities. In the future, a rail link to Białystok through Ostrołęka, and another to Ełk could be organised by putting railcars on the unused rail lines.
. In 1996 the airfield was declared surpulus to military requirements and transferred to the agency responsible for selling off military property to civilians (Agencja Mienia Wojskowego). The agency leased it to the company Porty Lotnicze „Mazury-Szczytno” which planned to turn it into a civilian airport. Between 1996 and 2003, in the summer months, the airport had regular, weekly connections to Warsaw and cities in Germany. The company came close to bankruptcy in 2004 and appears to be deeply in debt. The concrete surface of the airport is sometimes rented out for various events. At present air traffic is suspended. Various sources of financing are being sought for upgrading the airport and again opening it to traffic.
involved in the CIA's network of extraordinary renditions. Terrorist suspects were to be secretly held, and even tortured, in violation of Polish law, by the CIA. Flight records show that an airplane leased by the CIA flying from Kabul
to Guantanamo Bay
made a stop in Szymany. Officials from the airport have confirmed that some of these flights bypassed normal customs-clearing procedures, and that during the time of these landings, the airport regularly received visits by cars bearing markings associated with the Stare Kiejkuty intelligence training school
outside the nearby village of Stare Kiejkuty
.
As recently as November, 2006, the European Parliament
investigative commission led by Claudio Fava
had been told, when asked for the flight logs of 11 specific flights observed to have transited through Szymany, that "[the records] have [not] been retained, have been faxed and destroyed, and finally said to have been saved in an unspecified place." The commission report also quotes Szymany officials as confirming six occasions in 2002 and 2003 when Gulfstream jets bearing civilian registration numbers had landed at the airport, bypassing customs clearance. Airport officials had been directly ordered not to approach the aircraft, and vehicles bearing military registration numbers affiliated with the nearby base at Stare Kiejkuty
awaited the arrival of each aircraft.
In June 2008 a New York Times article claimed citing unnamed CIA officers that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was held in a secret facility in Poland near Szymany Airport and it was there where the he was interrogated and the waterboarding
was applied before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed began to cooperate.
In February 2010 Polish officials recanted previous denials, and admitted that at least six CIA flights passed through Szymany in 2003.
See: Black site
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
regional airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in the village Szymany, some 10 km from the center of the city of Szczytno
Szczytno
Szczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...
in the North of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is the only airport in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. As of 2007 the airport does not have any year-round scheduled service,
and in fact is not open for traffic. When active, it catered mostly to general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, charter flights and seasonally scheduled connections in the summer. It used to have scheduled passenger service to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Revitalisation proposals
Olsztyn (160 000, agglomeration 200 thousand inhabitants), the capital of Warmia- Mazury voivodship (1,5 million inhabitants) lacks any international airport, apart from the one in Szczytno-Szymany, that does not serve any international flights now. The airport possesses a runway of 2000 meters length and 60 meters width, destroyed ILS system, and is located in Szymany in Mazury region. Its trade name is: Szczytno –Szymany, although both are small, unknown localities. It was proposed to the regional authorities and to the airport management to rebrand the airport to a better name “Olsztyn/ Mazury”, that would encapsulate the whole region of Mazury and its lakes, famous among tourists in Europe.The airport is situated 56 kilometres to the south of Olsztyn, at the border with more densely populated Mazowsze region. There are also other larger towns (50- 60 thousand) in the 60 kilometres distance of this airport, such as Mława, Ciechanów, Ostrołęka. This airport has in its catchment area a population of 2- 2,5 million people in both voivodeships.
In order to provide an easy access, it is planned to introduce a rail link to this airport, using the rail branch to the airport, tendering procedure for the upgrade of the rail line was announced. A journey time to the centre of Olsztyn would amount to 45- 50 minutes if the rail infrastructure to the airport would be upgraded. Such airport link is being prepared by the authorities. In the future, a rail link to Białystok through Ostrołęka, and another to Ełk could be organised by putting railcars on the unused rail lines.
Airlines and destinations
- past destinations: Warsaw
- none (For several years now, the airport has not had any scheduled passenger traffic, and presently, serves no traffic at all.)
History
The airfield was built in the 1950s for use by the military. It was important for being near to the intelligence facility in Stare KiejkutyStare Kiejkuty (base)
On the territory village of Stare Kiejkuty, Poland, is a restricted military area that is the seat of Jednostka Wojskowa 2669 , Ośrodek Szkolenia Agencji Wywiadu " Since 2005 it has attracted scrutiny as being a black site involved in the CIA's program of extraordinary...
. In 1996 the airfield was declared surpulus to military requirements and transferred to the agency responsible for selling off military property to civilians (Agencja Mienia Wojskowego). The agency leased it to the company Porty Lotnicze „Mazury-Szczytno” which planned to turn it into a civilian airport. Between 1996 and 2003, in the summer months, the airport had regular, weekly connections to Warsaw and cities in Germany. The company came close to bankruptcy in 2004 and appears to be deeply in debt. The concrete surface of the airport is sometimes rented out for various events. At present air traffic is suspended. Various sources of financing are being sought for upgrading the airport and again opening it to traffic.
Alleged involvement in extraordinary renditions and secret CIA prison
The airport gained attention in the press in 2005, when it was alleged to be a so-called black siteBlack site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black project is conducted. Recently, the term has gained notoriety in describing secret prisons operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , generally outside of U.S. territory and legal jurisdiction. It...
involved in the CIA's network of extraordinary renditions. Terrorist suspects were to be secretly held, and even tortured, in violation of Polish law, by the CIA. Flight records show that an airplane leased by the CIA flying from Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
to Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
made a stop in Szymany. Officials from the airport have confirmed that some of these flights bypassed normal customs-clearing procedures, and that during the time of these landings, the airport regularly received visits by cars bearing markings associated with the Stare Kiejkuty intelligence training school
Stare Kiejkuty (base)
On the territory village of Stare Kiejkuty, Poland, is a restricted military area that is the seat of Jednostka Wojskowa 2669 , Ośrodek Szkolenia Agencji Wywiadu " Since 2005 it has attracted scrutiny as being a black site involved in the CIA's program of extraordinary...
outside the nearby village of Stare Kiejkuty
Stare Kiejkuty (village)
Stare Kiejkuty is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Szczytno, within Szczytno County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Szczytno and south-east of the regional capital Olsztyn...
.
As recently as November, 2006, the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
investigative commission led by Claudio Fava
Claudio Fava
Giovanni Claudio Fava is an Italian politician .He is currently the Coordinator of the National Secretariat of Sinistra Ecologia Libertà .He was until 2009 Member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Democratic Left , part of the Socialist Group and is vice-chair of the...
had been told, when asked for the flight logs of 11 specific flights observed to have transited through Szymany, that "[the records] have [not] been retained, have been faxed and destroyed, and finally said to have been saved in an unspecified place." The commission report also quotes Szymany officials as confirming six occasions in 2002 and 2003 when Gulfstream jets bearing civilian registration numbers had landed at the airport, bypassing customs clearance. Airport officials had been directly ordered not to approach the aircraft, and vehicles bearing military registration numbers affiliated with the nearby base at Stare Kiejkuty
Stare Kiejkuty (base)
On the territory village of Stare Kiejkuty, Poland, is a restricted military area that is the seat of Jednostka Wojskowa 2669 , Ośrodek Szkolenia Agencji Wywiadu " Since 2005 it has attracted scrutiny as being a black site involved in the CIA's program of extraordinary...
awaited the arrival of each aircraft.
In June 2008 a New York Times article claimed citing unnamed CIA officers that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was held in a secret facility in Poland near Szymany Airport and it was there where the he was interrogated and the waterboarding
Waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
was applied before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed began to cooperate.
In February 2010 Polish officials recanted previous denials, and admitted that at least six CIA flights passed through Szymany in 2003.
See: Black site
Black site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black project is conducted. Recently, the term has gained notoriety in describing secret prisons operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , generally outside of U.S. territory and legal jurisdiction. It...