Prague: The airport city of the future

Two historic milestones came to pass at Prague International Airport in 2012. In April, the airport celebrated its 75th anniversary of operations. This was followed by the renaming of the airport in October to Václav Havel Airport Prague, in honour of the first president of Czechoslovakia and subsequently the Czech Republic after the 1989 revolution. Václav Havel was and remains a symbol of freedom and democracy for Czech people and others around the world. The change in name cements the airport as a modern aviation portal, serving as a prestigious gateway to the Czech Republic.

Václav Havel Airport Prague is operated by the Letiste Praha Corporation, a subsidiary of Český Aeroholding. The holding company brings together companies involved in aviation transport and associated aviation services, owned by the government of the Czech Republic. Václav Havel Airport Prague, an international airport with around 11 million passengers passing through each year, handles more than 90 per cent of all passengers departing the Czech Republic and thus plays the key role in the current aviation infrastructure. Letiste Praha employs almost 2,000 people and another 15,000 people work in associated specialties, from handling to the relaxation studio.

In 2011, Letiste Praha received the Eagle Award for Fastest Developing Airport in the World, from IATA. The 11 million passengers who pass through the gates of Václav Havel Airport Prague every year have, at their disposal, the offerings of approximately 50 airlines directly connecting Prague to more than 100 destinations around the globe. Also in operation at the airport are five regular cargo transporters and dozens of charter companies.

The airport has recently had to come to terms with changes in the network of its largest partner, Czech Airlines. As a survival step and to ensure its long-term development, the airline has taken remedial measures which have focused on costs and profits, as well as changes to business policies and the retuning of the network backbone to position the company as a bridge between East and West. This has involved joining destinations in Russia and other former countries in the Soviet Union with those in Western Europe, comple mented by regional connections using smaller prop aircraft. One positive is that point-to-point traffic has been growing year-onyear, which confirms that interest in Prague and flights from the city are undergoing stable long-term growth.

Václav Havel Airport Prague’s mid-term ambition is to become a regional hub which serves as a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe, particularly for flights from the Near East and Asia. As 2012 drew to a close, a positive move was visible in Czech Airlines’ conclusion of a contract with Korean Airlines for a Prague-Seoul connection. After a three-year restructuring period, Czech Airlines will expand its fleet in 2013 to include an Airbus 330 long-distance aircraft with which it will operate a codeshare connection to Seoul. This is the first step towards making Václav Havel Airport Prague a natural regional hub.

Location, location, location

For transfer traffic, Václav Havel Airport Prague’s position in the centre of Europe is a real advantage. Added to this are the benefits brought by the airport’s layout and the distance between terminals. From non- Schengen Terminal 1, it’s only a few minutes to the Schengen Terminal 2. From the airlines’ standpoint, the minimum connection time of about 25 minutes is also an advantage. Over the mid-term, terminal capacity is adequate. Terminal 1, along with Schengen Terminal 2, opened in 2006 and together they handle up to 25 million passengers per year. Terminal 1 is equipped with 62 check-in counters, 10 selfservice kiosks, 27 gates and 16 loading bridges with three double-bridges. Terminal 2, which is designated for flights within Schengen, includes 60 check-in counters, 19 self-service kiosks, 26 gates, including 16 loading bridges and two double-bridges.

The airport runway system includes two runways. The main runway – designated RWY 06/24 – is 3,715m-long and 45m-wide and is operated in the highest III B category. RWY 12/30, the auxiliary runway, is 3,250m-long and 45m-wide and is classified as a Category I runway. The existing runway system allows a maximum of 46 movements per hour. Over the long-term, a key project consists in the construction of a runway parallel to the existing main runway. The airport has 59 parking bays.

Key infrastructure investments

Reconstruction work began on the airport’s main runway in 2012. The runway has been in service for almost 50 years, since 1963. Given the age and condition of the runway surfaces and structure, company management decided to initiate general repairs. The investment made during Phase 1, carried out over three months in 2012, cost approximately €2.5 million. It included breaking and removing 900m of the existing runway in its full width of 45m and replacing it with a new concrete runway. The side lanes were reconstructed too, along with installation of cable ducts and other related construction work. The other two phases, which are very likely to be combined, will be carried out this year, involving general repairs on the remaining 2.8km of RWY 06/24.

Without doubt the most significant infrastructural development project at Václav Havel Airport Prague is the construction of a parallel runway. Since the 1989 revolution, the number of passengers coming through the air – port has markedly increased. Over the last 10 years alone, the volume of travellers has tripled and during peak operating periods, the runway system is no longer adequate and could become a barrier to the anticipated growth in civil aviation transport unless something is done.

There’s nothing new about the proposal to extend the airport’s capacity with a runway parallel to the existing chief runway 06/24 – when the runway was built back in the 1960s, it was already anticipated that it would be necessary to add a parallel runway. At the start of the 1970s, the runway was incorporated into territorial planning documentation.

The planned length of the parallel runway is 3,550m, with a basic width of 60m or 75m including side margins. Radio navigation equipment for the new runway is being planned, which will allow aircraft approaches and landings in both runway directions as well as during unfavourable conditions, for example in poor visibility, without manual action by the crew. The runway has also been designed to meet the requirements for the Airbus 380 aircraft. The planned investment amounts to approxi – mately €360 million.

In 2011, Letiste Praha received approval from the Ministry of Environment on EIA document – ation on parallel runway construction and operation. The company has now issued a tender call to find a partner to develop all the necessary background materials for obtaining zoning and construction permits. Under the updated schedule, operations on the new runway should begin in 2018.

From airport to airport city

When the Prague Airport was opened in 1937, it had five grass runways, one check-in terminal and an area of approximately 100ha. Today that area has grown by a factor of ten and features two terminals for common passengers, one for private flights, one for flights of state importance and two cargo terminals. The original airport has grown into a city which includes two water – works, a fire station, an administrative centre and two sewage treatment plants. The terminals provide passengers with services of more than 80 stores, 36 restaurants, a post office, insurance company, supermarket, pharmacy, prayer room, relaxation zone, free cinema, children’s play areas and much more. Václav Havel Airport Prague keeps pace with the latest trends for passenger comfort. In 2010, the airport introduced free of charge Wi-Fi, the sending of SMS messages with important update information on particular flights, as well as automated information kiosks.

Prague Loves You

In 2010, Letiste Praha launched the ‘Prague Loves You’ campaign for its B2B communications. This campaign was based upon the company’s efforts to take an active part in attracting new airlines, new connections and of course, passengers who have chosen Prague as their destination. The Czech Republic has a long, rich history and a great number of architectural and cultural tourist sites. With 12 locations on the UNESCO World Heritage List as well as grand exhibitions, festivals and other cultural events taking place each year, along with both historical and modern visitor attractions, the Czech Republic and Prague offers a fantastic destination for European and global travellers alike.

Biography

Jirví Pos is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Václav Havel Airport Prague. Aviation operations, security and VIP services are under his direction, as are quality control, safety and process management, internal audits and communications. Jirví joined Prague Airport in July 2006, following a 20 year career at Czech Airlines, where he had served as Vice President for Ground Operations since 2002.