Direct Flights to 165 Destinations; Václav Havel Airport Prague Expects a Record-setting Summer Season

The main news includes a direct connection to Toronto thanks to the return of Air Canada, increased capacity on the route to Seoul by Asiana Airlines, and the new Etihad Airways connection to Abu Dhabi. Short-haul flights are being expanded, for example, by Air Baltic’s route to Vilnius, the launch of which will ensure that, once again, Prague will be connected by air with all Baltic capitals. Connections with major European cities will also be enhanced by a new Croatia Airlines route to Zagreb. Additionally, the summer schedule brings a further increase in the number of flights and seats offered, with more than 40 routes having increased weekly frequencies of operations. These include, for example, more frequent weekly flights to Greece, Italy, and Turkey. Larger aircraft will be deployed on selected routes, including the Airbus A380 on the route to Dubai.

“The summer schedule reflects the continuously growing demand from passengers and the ability of airlines to increase capacity and launch new direct connections from Prague. This year, we expect record operations with more than 18 million handled passengers. However, it would be irresponsible to claim that this season will not experience delayed flights. Therefore, Prague Airport, together with its partners, is responsibly getting ready to minimise the impact of these operational complications on passengers,” Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said.

“Regarding Czech airspace and Václav Havel Airport Prague, the state enterprise of Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic is ready to ensure the necessary capacity for the summer season. Airspace optimization has been successfully completed and the main control system of the TopSky enterprise is stable and meets all capacity requirements. The agreement with EUROCONTROL on the introduction of flexible air traffic flow scenarios from 17 April 2025 is also important. As a result, the ANS CR state-owned enterprise will contribute to relieving congested areas in neighbouring countries, especially in Germany and Austria,” Jan Klas, Director General, commented on the preparation for the summer season on behalf of the state-owned enterprise of Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic.

London remains the destination with the greatest number of weekly frequencies under the summer flight schedule with up to 100 flights per week, followed by Paris, Antalya, and Amsterdam. New additions within the popular holiday destinations segment include Italian Comiso, Zanzibar, and the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica. Croatia Airlines will offer enhanced connections with Croatia, offering direct flights not only to Zagreb, but also to Split and Dubrovnik. In addition to expanding the range of destinations, capacity on selected routes will also be increased thanks to larger aircraft and more frequently operated flights. The inclusion of new carriers, such as Condor, will also expand the range of connecting options for long-haul flights.

Summer Season Preparations

Preparation for the season includes strengthening personnel capacities, supported by an extensive recruitment campaign which has been running since January and two recruitment days attended by almost a thousand potential candidates for jobs at the airport at the beginning of March. In the area of ​​security screening, new CT X-ray technology will be deployed in Terminal 2 at the Central Security Control Point by the beginning of the summer season. A total of six of these X-ray machines will be installed by the beginning of the summer season, thanks to which the security control capacity will increase by 20%. This technology allows passengers to keep electronics and liquids in their hand baggage during security screening. However, the limit of transporting liquids up to 100 millilitres with a total volume of 1 litter only still applies. In addition, Prague Airport continues to develop self-check-in services, both in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The use of Self-Service Bag Drop and Self-Service Check-in kiosks is growing year by year, with additional airlines joining these options this year.

In the area of ​​passenger information, an extensive educational campaign will be launched again in May, offering useful advice on timely arrivals at the airport, parking options, and security screening. Arriving at the airport could be more difficult on some days during the summer season due to closures and construction activities on adjacent roads. Most of this work will be completed by the start of the summer season with the only exception being the repair of the D7 motorway by the Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic, which will last until mid-August. During this period, traffic on the D7 motorway will be restricted and there will also be a short-term complete closure of the motorway. Prague Airport, together with RMD, will always communicate all closure dates in advance.

A recently renovated Mastercard lounge will re-launch its operations in Terminal 1, offering increased capacity and comfort for passengers. Another new service for passengers is the Flexi Parking service, which consists of parking at the POP Airport outlet centre with subsequent transfers to the airport by shuttle buses. Other improvements include the modernisation of the PC Comfort parking building and the already implemented payment option at express parking areas directly at the exit barrier.

Summer Season Perspective of the Largest Tour Operators and Czech Air Carrier

Almost a third of Czech passengers will use the services of travel agencies, which contributes to the development of air connections from Václav Havel Airport Prague to popular holiday destinations. This segment will grow again, by almost 5% compared to last year. “The number of clients who travel with us on summer holidays has been steadily increasing for several seasons, and this year’s first moment sales were exceptionally strong. The ranking of the most popular destinations has not changed much, with the Turkish Riviera, Greek islands, Spain, Egypt, and Tunisia at the top. Interest in complementary services, such as priority check-in, airport lounges, and Business Class tickets, has been growing significantly. This year, we will also offer Business Class seats on shorter flights to summer destinations such as Crete, Rhodes, the Turkish Riviera, and Mallorca,” Jan Bezděk, Head of Communication at the DER Touristik CZ Group, said.

“The greatest number of our clients will fly from Václav Havel Airport Prague to Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, and Spain during the upcoming summer season. At the same time, Čedok will also offer its long-haul connection from Prague to Zanzibar during the summer, which means that Czech tourists will be able to visit the destination from the end of June to October. Our clients book higher category hotels, most often four-star and five-star hotels, Business Class or Premium seats on aircraft, and other complementary services. The enhanced food and drink service offered during flights is also a hit. Our clients also want to enjoy the trip from start to finish, which is why they use not only airport lounges, but also private transfers,” Klára Divíšková, Manager of Communication and Spokesperson of the Čedok tour operator, commented.

“The clients of the Blue Style tour operator travel on their holiday exclusively by air. Last year, it was an extraordinary season, when more than 1.5 million Czechs flew on holiday in the summer months alone, i.e., from July to the end of September. Our travel agency flew over 300 thousand children and adults to the sea during this part of the season,” Lucie Hasman, Blue Style Spokesperson explained and added: “Czechs love the sea and want to spend at least one week of holiday there every year. During the summer, easily accessible beaches dominate the tours booked with the Blue Style tour operator. You can fly to the sea from Prague in less than two hours; at the moment, for example, to Albania, which is also called the pearl of the Adriatic. Bulgaria and the Greek islands are similarly popular among our clients, followed by Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt of course, and other destinations where we can fly our clients within a few hours.”

SmartWings dominates the ranking of the number of transported passengers of the holiday segment in the summer season with a share of approximately 60%, followed by Ryanair and Eurowings. “The largest Czech airline, Smartwings, expects another summer season with strong demand for flights and an increase in the number of passengers transported. During last year’s summer flight schedule alone, over 2.6 million clients used Smartwings services on flights to/from Prague. During this summer, Smartwings will offer direct flights from Prague to seventy destinations and, compared to last year, the number of flights to Ponta Delgada (Azores), Madrid, Cagliari and Olbia in Sardinia, Lamezia Terme, Thessaloniki, Tirana, Tel Aviv, Madeira, and Lanzarote will increase. On regular flights to the Canary Islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, clients now also have the opportunity to travel in Business Class,” Michal Váňa, Sales Director of Smartwings, concluded.