Václav Havel Airport Prague in Ruzyně is the largest airport in the Czech Republic; operations began in March 1937. It lies 18 km from the centre of Prague.
Václav Havel Airport Prague is the largest airport in the Czech Republic. According to Prague City Tourism, it handles more than 15 million passengers a year, and about 75 airlines connect Prague from it directly with 165 destinations. It lies 18 km from the city centre.[1] Its history is described on the website of the company Letiště Praha, a. s.[2]
Origins and the first years
The history of the Prague airport began in 1929, when the Czechoslovak government approved a proposal to build a new airport. Construction started in July 1933 with only a minimal share of mechanisation, so as to reduce unemployment during the economic crisis. The building work was completed on 1 March 1937.[2] Operations at the Ruzyně airport officially began on 5 March 1937 at nine o'clock in the morning, when the first aircraft landed, a Douglas DC-2 on the domestic route Piešťany–Zlín–Brno–Prague. An hour later came the first international flight, on the route Vienna–Prague–Berlin.[2] Foreign experts then rated the airport among the best in Europe, and its terminal hall became a model for other new airports.[2]
The war and the post-war period
During the occupation the airport was run by the military Fliegershorst. The German authorities abolished Czechoslovak air transport, leaving a single route, Berlin–Prague–Vienna, on which Deutsche Lufthansa flew daily with Junkers Ju 52 aircraft. The hangars were used to repair military aircraft, and a military flying school was established there. Construction of the runway system continued, and by 1945 the airport had four runways, ranging in length from 950 to 1,800 metres.[2] Thanks to the May uprising the airport was taken with its runways almost undamaged, and civil operations were restored quickly.[2] In 1946 a plan for a new runway and further development was approved; the runways were lengthened, and a system of taxiways and lighting for night operations was added. Construction of a parallel runway began in 1947–1948.[2]
The 1960s to the 1990s
A decision to expand capacity was taken in 1956. Four years later the government decided on a new terminal north of the existing one, which was given the name Sever (North) and is now Terminal 1. Construction began in 1964, and in June 1968 the building, designed to handle up to 2.3 million passengers a year, was ceremonially opened. The runways were extended to as much as 4.3 km.[2] In August 1968 aircraft of the Warsaw Pact armies landed at the airport.[2] During the 1980s domestic traffic fell sharply, among other reasons because of the opening of the Prague–Brno–Bratislava motorway and the cancellation of short domestic routes to save fuel.[2] The reconstruction of the original 1937 building was completed in 1986 and preserved its functionalist architecture. Today it serves as Terminal 4, mainly for state visits.[2] In June 1995 the foundation stone was laid for a new check-in complex and car park.[2]
Terminals and services
All scheduled flights and the great majority of non-scheduled ones arrive here. Terminal 1 serves flights outside the Schengen Area, Terminal 2 flights within it.[1] According to Prague City Tourism, the airport has shops, restaurants, car rental offices, currency exchange offices, cash machines, a post office, VIP lounges, short-stay accommodation Aerorooms, a pharmacy and a medical clinic. The viewing terrace in the departure hall of Terminal 2 is freely accessible, and the left-luggage office is open around the clock.[1] According to the same source, the information line for departures and arrivals is 220 111 888.[1]
Transport from the airport
According to Prague City Tourism, trolleybus 59 runs to the station Nádraží Veleslavín (line A) in 17 minutes, bus 100 to Zličín (line B) in 18 minutes, and the night route 910 to the centre in 40 minutes. The special Airport Express service links Terminal 1 with Praha hlavní nádraží, runs at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes from 5:30 to 22:00, and the journey takes about 40 minutes. The fare is CZK 100, with a reduced fare of CZK 50 for children aged 6–15.[1] Taxis are available around the clock in front of the arrival halls of both terminals.[1] This information is given as the source publishes it on its website.
Pages linking here
Chronology
- — Czechia marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Václav Havel with exhibitions, conferences, radio broadcasts and Signal Festival installations, including at the Prague airport that bears his name. → Český rozhlas Sever (Ústí, Karlovy Vary) iROZHLAS