Václav Havel Airport Prague (Czech: Letiště Václava Havla Praha) Czech pronunciation: [ˈlɛcɪʃcɛ ˈvaːt͡slava ˈɦavla ˈpraɦa] (IATA: PRG, ICAO: LKPR), formerly Prague Ruzyně International Airport (Mezinárodní letiště Praha-Ruzyně, Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɛzɪnaːrodɲiː ˈlɛcɪʃcɛ ˈpraɦa ˈruzɪɲɛ]), is an international airport of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The airport was founded in 1937 when it replaced the Kbely Airport (founded in 1918) as the city's principal airport. It was reconstructed and extended in 1956, 1968, 1997, and 2006. In 2012, it was renamed after the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. It is located at the edge of the Prague-Ruzyně area, next to Kněževes village, 12 km (7 mi) west of the centre of Prague and 12 km (7 mi) southeast of the city of Kladno.

In 2018, it served around 17 million passengers. It served as a hub for Czech Airlines until it ceased operations in late 2024 and it serves as a hub for Smartwings, and as an operating base for Ryanair and Eurowings.

Prague–Ruzyně Airport began operations on 5 April 1937, but Czechoslovak civil aviation history started at the military airport in Prague–Kbely in 1919. The Prague Aviation Museum is now found at Kbely Airport.

Due to the insufficient capacity of Kbely Airport by the mid-1930s, the government decided to develop a new state civil airport in Ruzyně. Among the major awards Prague Ruzyně Airport has received is the Diploma and Gold Medal granted in 1937 at the occasion of the International Art and Technical Exhibition in Paris (Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne also known as Paris 1937 World's Fair) for the technical conception of the central airport, primarily the architecture of the check-in building (nowadays known as Terminal 4) designed by architect Adolf Benš.

In one of the most dramatic moments in its history, the airport was seized by Soviet paratroopers on the night of 20–21 August 1968, who then facilitated the landing of Soviet troops and transports for the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Moreover, the Ruzyně fields provide opportunities for further expansion of the airport according to the increasing capacity demand. The airport serves as a hub of the trans-European airport network.

Political and economic changes have significantly influenced Prague–Ruzyně Airport's seventy-year history. Some new air transportation companies and institutions have been founded and some have ceased operation since 1937. Ten entities have been responsible for airport administration over time, including the new construction and development.

The airport stood in for Miami International Airport in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.

An online petition organised by one of the best-known Slovak film directors, Fero Fenič, calling on the government and the Parliament to rename Prague Ruzyně Airport to Václav Havel International Airport attracted – in just one week after 20 December 2011—the support of over 65,000 signatories both within and outside the Czech Republic. A rendition of the airport with the proposed Václav Havel name in the form of his signature followed by his typical heart symbol suffix was included in the blog's article in support of renaming of the airport. This name change took place on 5 October 2012 on what would have been Havel's 76th birthday. The PRG name of the airport for IATA and ICAO will remain the same.

The main runway 06/24 was reconstructed from 2012 to 2013 due to poor technical conditions. During reconstruction, runway 12/30 was the only usable runway as runway 04/22 is closed permanently. The runway reconstruction was originally planned for three stages. The first stage in 2012, the second stage in 2013 and the last stage in 2014. Runway 12/30 (which would be used during the reconstruction of the main runway) is not equipped for low visibility landings as it offers only ILS CAT I landings. In addition, the approach path of runway 12/30 goes above high-density population areas (such as Prague 6 and Kladno). Therefore, the second and the third stage of the runway reconstruction had to be merged so the works could be finished in 2013.

An expansion of the existing terminals is scheduled to start construction sometime during the year 2027 or 2028. A new pier is supposed to be built to expand the existing Terminal 2 and it will be south of the mentioned terminal and north of the new runway (see "New runway"). It will accommodate both non-Schengen (departure and arrival) and Schengen flights (arrival only). It will contain 8 jetway gates and 10 non-Schengen bus gates. An extension of the check-in hall at Terminal 1 is also going to be made. Modifications will be made to the existing piers (including pier A and B). Terminal 1 will be used only for Schengen flights and Terminal 2 will be used for both Schengen and non-Schengen flights. In addition, one Schengen bus gate will be added to pier A. This project is supposed to be completed by the year 2033.

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2021)

As the capacity of the airport has been reaching its limit for the last couple of years (as of 2005), further development of the airport is being considered. Besides regular repairs of the existing runways, Prague Airport (Czech: Letiště Praha s.p.) began the preparations for building a new runway, parallel to the 06/24 runway. The construction with estimated costs of CZK 5–7 billion was scheduled to begin in 2007, and the new runway marked 06R/24L was to be put into service in 2010. Because of many legal problems and the protests of people who live close to the airport premises, as well as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction is likely to start no sooner than in the 2030s.

It is planned to be over 3,500 m (11,483 ft) long. Located about 1,500 m (4,921 ft) southeast of the present main runway, the 24L runway will be equipped with a category III ILS, allowing landing and taking off under bad weather conditions.

Prague Airport states that besides increasing the airport capacity, the new runway system will greatly reduce the noise level in some densely inhabited areas of Prague. This should be achieved by reorganising the air traffic space around the airport and shifting the traffic corridors after putting the two parallel runways into service. The vision of heavy traffic raised many protests from the suburban communities directly surrounding the airport. On 6 November 2004, local referendums were held in two Prague suburbs – Nebušice and Přední Kopanina – giving official support to the local authorities for active opposition against the construction of the parallel runway.

The construction of a railway connection between the airport and Prague city centre is also in the planning stage. The track will be served by express trains with special fares, connecting the airport non-stop with the city centre, and local trains fully integrated into Prague integrated transit system.

Prague Airport has two main passenger terminals, two general aviation terminals, as well as a cargo facility. Most flights depart Prague Airport from the North Terminals (Terminals 1 and 2). The South Terminals (Terminals 3 and 4) handle a few irregular flights, as well as VIP flights, special flights and small aircraft.

• Terminal 1 is used for flights outside the Schengen Area; it was opened in 1968 and rebuilt in 1997, it includes concourses A and B
• Terminal 2 is used for flights within the Schengen area; it was opened on 17 January 2006, it includes concourses C and D
• Terminal 3 is used for private and charter flights; it was opened in 1997
• Terminal 4 is used exclusively for VIP flights and state visits; it is the oldest part of the airport, and was opened on 5 April 1937.

There are also two freight terminals, Cargo Terminal 1 is operated by Menzies Aviation Czech while Cargo Terminal 2 is operated by Skyport.

The airport contains two runways in service: 06/24 (till April 1993 07/25) and 12/30 (till May 2012 13/31). Former runway 04/22 is permanently closed for take-offs and landings and is used for taxiing and parking only. The most used runway is 24 due to the prevailing western winds. Runway 30 is also used often. Runway 06 is used rarely, while runway 12 is used only exceptionally.

Czech Airlines has its head office, the APC Building, on the grounds of Prague Airport. On 30 December 2009 CSA announced that it would sell its head office to the airport for CZK 607 million. Smartwings have their head office on the airport property. In addition the Civil Aviation Authority also has its head office on the airport property.

The company operating the airport is Prague Airport (Letiště Praha, a. s.), a joint-stock company that has one shareholder, the Ministry of Finance. The company was founded in February 2008, as part of a privatisation process involving the Airport Prague (Správa Letiště Praha, s.p.) state enterprise. This action was in accordance with the Czech Republic Government Memorandum Nr. 888, which had been passed on 9 July 2008. On 1 December 2008, Prague Airport took all rights and duties formerly held by Správa Letiště Praha, s.p., and Prague Airports took all business authorisations, certificates, employees, and licenses from the former company. The head office of Prague Airport is in Prague 6. The former state-owned enterprise had its head office on the airport property.

As of 2024, Prague Airport offers flights to more than 170 destinations, with 70 carriers operating the flights. The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Prague Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Aegean Airlines	Athens
Aer Lingus	Dublin
airBaltic	Riga, Vilnius (begins 30 March 2025)
Air Cairo	Hurghada
Air Canada	Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson (resumes 6 June 2025)
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Montenegro	Seasonal: Tivat
Air Serbia	Belgrade
Arkia	Tel Aviv
Austrian Airlines	Vienna
Azerbaijan Airlines	Baku
Bees Airline	Bucharest–Otopeni
Bluebird Airways	Tel Aviv
British Airways	London–Heathrow Seasonal: London–City
Brussels Airlines	Brussels
Bulgaria Air	Sofia Seasonal: Varna Seasonal charter: Burgas
China Airlines	Taipei–Taoyuan
Corendon Airlines	Seasonal charter: Antalya
Croatia Airlines	Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Split
Cyprus Airways	Seasonal: Larnaca
Delta Air Lines	Seasonal: New York–JFK
easyJet	Amsterdam, Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast–International, Birmingham (begins 13 November 2024), Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow (begins 7 November 2024), Lisbon, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Lyon, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa, Nantes, Naples, Nice, Porto Seasonal: Alicante, Edinburgh, Palma de Mallorca
Egyptair	Cairo
El Al	Tel Aviv
Emirates	Dubai–International
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi (begins 2 June 2025)
Eurowings	Athens, Barcelona, Birmingham, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Málaga, Rome–Fiumicino, Stockholm–Arlanda Seasonal: Agadir, Alicante, Corfu, Funchal, Heraklion, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Tallinn, Valencia
Eznis Airways	Ulaanbaatar
Finnair	Helsinki
flydubai	Dubai–International
flynas	Seasonal: Riyadh
FlyOne	Seasonal: Chișinău
Georgian Wings	Seasonal: Tbilisi
Hainan Airlines	Beijing–Capital
Iberia	Madrid
Icelandair	Reykjavík–Keflavík
Israir Airlines	Tel Aviv
Jazeera Airways	Seasonal: Kuwait City
Jet2.com	Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester Seasonal: Belfast–International, Bournemouth (begins 27 November 2025), Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool (begins 29 November 2024), London–Stansted, Newcastle upon Tyne
KLM	Amsterdam
KM Malta Airlines	Malta
Korean Air	Seoul–Incheon
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair	Luxembourg
Neos	Seasonal charter: Krabi (begins 7 January 2025), Nosy Be, Punta Cana
Nile Air	Seasonal charter: Hurghada
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm–Arlanda
Nouvelair	Seasonal charter: Monastir
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen Seasonal: Antalya
Play	Seasonal: Reykjavík–Keflavík
Qanot Sharq	Tashkent
Qatar Airways	Doha
Ryanair	Barcelona, Bari, Beauvais, Bergamo, Bristol, Budapest, Catania, Charleroi, Copenhagen, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gdańsk, Košice, Kraków, London–Stansted, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester, Marseille, Naples, Pisa, Riga, Rome–Ciampino, Seville, Tirana, Treviso Seasonal: Bologna, Corfu, Gothenburg, Palma de Mallorca, Pescara, Poznań, Rhodes, Rimini, Skiathos, Turin, Zadar
Scandinavian Airlines	Seasonal: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm–Arlanda
SCAT Airlines	Astana
Sky Express	Athens (begins 2 December 2024)
Skyline Express Airlines	Seasonal charter: Hurghada, Marsa Alam
Smartwings	Antalya, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Marsa Alam, Palma de Mallorca, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Tel Aviv, Tenerife–South, Valencia Seasonal: Almería, Athens, Brindisi, Burgas, Cagliari, Catania, Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Izmir, La Palma, Karpathos, Kefalonia, Kos, Lamezia Terme, Larnaca, Menorca, Nice, Olbia, Ponta Delgada, Preveza/Lefkada, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Split, Thessaloniki, Tirana, Varna, Zakynthos Seasonal charter: Abu Dhabi, Agadir, Aqaba, Bahrain, Boa Vista, Bodrum, Chios, Dakar–Diass, Dalaman, Djerba, El Daaba, Enfidha, Faro, Girona, Ibiza, Kavala, Kayseri, Kithira, Lemnos, Mombasa, Mersa Matruh, Monastir, Murcia, Muscat, Mytilene, Nador, Naples, Oujda, Palermo, Patras, Ras Al Khaimah, Reus, Sal, Salalah, Sharm El Sheikh, Skiathos, Skyros, Taba
SunExpress	Antalya Seasonal: Izmir, Kayseri (begins 11 January 2025)
Swiss International Air Lines	Zurich
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon
TAROM	Bucharest–Otopeni
Transavia	Eindhoven, Paris–Orly
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul
Universal Air	Seasonal: Cagliari, Malta
Uzbekistan Airways	Seasonal charter: Tashkent
Volotea	Florence, Lyon, Nantes, Verona
Vueling	Barcelona, Bilbao, Paris–Orly
Wizz Air	Catania, Kutaisi, Larnaca, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Milan–Malpensa, Naples, Rome–Fiumicino, Tirana, Venice Seasonal: Varna
World2Fly	Seasonal charter: Holguín, Phu Quoc, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana

Airlines	Destinations
ASL Airlines Belgium	Gdańsk, Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Qatar Airways Cargo	Budapest, Doha
Turkish Cargo	Istanbul, Vilnius
UPS Airlines	Cologne/Bonn

Year	Passengers handled	Passenger % Change	Cargo (tonnes)	Cargo % Change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft Movements % Change
2001	6,098,742		29,571
2002	6,314,653		34,829		103,904
2003	7,463,120		41,440		115,756
2004	9,696,413		46,885		144,962
2005	10,777,020		46,002		160,213
2006	11,581,511	7.46	54,972	6.27	166,346
2007	12,436,254	7.38	55,179	0.38	174,662
2008	12,630,557	1.56	47,870	-13.25	178,628
2009	11,643,366	-7.82	42,476	-11.27	163,816	-8.57
2010	11,556,858	-0.74	58,275	37.19	156,052	-4.63
2011	11,788,629	2.01	62,688	7.57	150,717	-3.50
2012	10,807,890	-8.32	52,977	-15.49	131,564	-12.78
2013	10,974,196	1.54	51,902	-2.03	128,633	-2.77
2014	11,149,926	1.60	50,897	-1.93	125,437	-2.43
2015	12,030,928	7.90	50,595	-0.59	128,018	0.62
2016	13,074,517	8.67	71,091	40.51	136,766	6.74
2017	15,415,001	17.9	81,879	15.18	148,223	8.40
2018	16,797,006	8.97	80,915	-1.18	155,532	4.81
2019	17,804,900	6.00	81,768	1.05	154,777	-0.48
2020	3,665,871	79.40	52,442	-35,86	54,163	-65.00
2021	4,388,826	19.72	64,402	17.08	61,194	12.98
2022	10,734,880	244.60	47,774	-22.19	100,629	64.44
2023	13,828,137	28.82	43,856	-8.2	118,046	17.30

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2024)

The top 15 destinations by passengers handled in 2019 were:

Rank	Airport	2019	2018	Airlines
1	Amsterdam	759,011	690,857	EasyJet, KLM
2	Paris–Charles de Gaulle	740,439	712,414	Air France, Czech Airlines
3	Moscow–Sheremetyevo	696,232	755,935
4	Frankfurt	527,836	524,302	Lufthansa
5	Dubai	469,029	506,462	Emirates, flydubai
6	London–Heathrow	447,149	443,741	British Airways
7	Barcelona	440,222	432,521	Eurowings, Ryanair
8	London–Stansted	435,969	408,188	Jet2.com, Ryanair
9	Tel Aviv	381,488	388,847	Arkia, Smartwings
10	Copenhagen	346,447	N/A	Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair
11	Brussels	334,140	329,181	Brussels Airlines
12	Milan–Malpensa	321,229	304,417	easyJet, Wizz Air
13	Madrid	316,856	314,504	Czech Airlines, Iberia
14	Helsinki	311,596	320,440	Finnair
15	Antalya	298,212	N/A	Corendon Airlines, Smartwings, SunExpress

Rank	Country	2011	2018
1	United Kingdom	1,138,899	2,061,486
2	Italy	872,933	1,342,428
3	Germany	1,162,114	1,167,768
4	France	1,017,899	1,127,151
5	Spain	726,301	1,091,450

Buses of DPP, the Prague Public Transit Co., stop at both terminals 1 and 2 frequently. A Czech Railways public bus service, AE – AirportExpress, connects Terminal 1 with Praha hlavní nádraží. From the bus station in front of Terminal 1 there are also regular buses to Kladno, intercity buses of Regiojet run every 30–60 minutes to Karlovy Vary and Cheb.

There are plans to build a rail connection to the airport. Preliminary work commenced in 2018, with procurement proceedings launched the following year. Main construction is likely to start around 2023, and completion is (as of summer 2022) expected to be 2029. According to a 2021 media report, the airport is to be served via a branch off the Prague-Kladno line, including an underground station to serve the airport. The project also includes double tracking and electrifying the existing single-track railway. The plan also includes upgrades to Prague-Masarykovo station

• On 19 February 1973, Aeroflot Flight 141, during approach a Tupolev Tu-154 crashed half a kilometre short of the airport. While most of the passengers survived the crash many died in the fire that followed. Altogether 66 people died from the 100 passengers and crew. The crash was the first loss of and the first fatal accident involving a Tu-154.
• On 30 October 1975, Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450, a Douglas DC-9-32 hit high ground during an approach in fog to Prague Ruzyně Airport. 75 of the 120 passengers and crew on board were killed.
• On 21 October 1981, a Tupolev Tu-154B flown by Malév landed hard after flight from Amsterdam. Fuselage broke into two main parts thus making aircraft damaged beyond repair. Everybody onboard survived, 24 passengers were injured.
• On 29 March 1989, two teenagers from Czechoslovakia armed with grenades and shotguns hijacked Malév Flight 640 at Prague Ruzyně Airport, and forced the Tupolev Tu-154B with 15 hostages to fly to Frankfurt Airport in West Germany before surrendering.

• List of airports in the Czech Republic

• Václav Havel Airport Prague travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Media related to Prague Ruzyně Airport at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Accident history for LKPR at Aviation Safety Network

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