FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Things of Interest to You: Questions & Answers
Why is it necessary to modernise and develop the airport?
- We want to enable Czechs to fly abroad and offer them convenient air connections to the whole world.
- We must respond to future demand, otherwise we will lose competitiveness and become a regional airport of small importance.
- According to available forecasts, the number of air trips will double within 20 years (e.g. IATA 2020); the current airport capacity is no longer sufficient to sustain such growth.
- There is a risk that carriers will start to prefer surrounding airports (Vienna, Budapest), which will limit travel options for Czechs.
What will the development of the airport bring to the citizens of the Czech Republic?
Direct flights to the whole world
Czechs want to fly more and further. The modernised airport will increase passenger comfort and allow us to launch attractive long-haul routes.
Growth of our country’s economy
The national airport plays a crucial role in the development of tourism and the entire economy. The modernisation will support new investments, international trade, more job creation, and the restart of the Czech economy.
Better quality of life for residents living around the airport
Thanks to the modernisation of the runway system, we can impose the airport nighttime closure. We will also move operations currently performed over the most densely populated parts of Prague and the Kladno region.
Sustainable tourism and operations
We are modernising the airport to ensure we can operate it with a minimal carbon footprint and with the aim of bringing high spending reputable tourists to Prague and the Czech Republic.
What will the development bring to the Czech economy?
Annual benefit of every 1 million handled passengers for the Czech economy:
- Approximately 325 thousand new tourists, whose spending will generate a consumption of almost 8.5 billion CZK in multiplication for the Czech economy.
- Tourist consumption will generate additional revenue for public budgets in the amount of 1.1 billion CZK.
- Increase in GDP by 3.2 billion CZK, i.e., increase in gross added value of the economy by 2.8 billion CZK.
- Increase in employment by 3,849 full-time job equivalents.
Does the airport really need a new runway and a terminal building? Can it not already handle all passengers?
- Yes, it does, because during peak times the airport is completely full.
- The 2019 summer season was proof of this (capacity problems at the terminals and runway).
- The runway system has a declared available hourly capacity. In Prague it is a maximum of 46 movements per hour, which was already filled in 2019. This means that there is no room for new services at these times.
- This has an impact primarily on the development of long-haul air connections (due to Prague’s geographical location, all carriers from America and Asia want to land at approximately the same time).
How much will the number of passengers increase with the development of the airport?
- The number of passengers can increase to a maximum of 21.2 million handled passengers per year (the limit given by the EIA for the construction of a parallel runway, which is binding and unsurpassable for the airport).
- Higher capacity above 21.2 million is subject to the EIA being updated, as required by law.