Check in Stress-free; Prague Airport Launches New Information Campaign with the Start of Summer

“Summer holiday does not begin with the first steps on the beach, but before departure. To ensure that everything goes to plan and without any inconvenience, it is advisable not to underestimate any aspect. We recommend that passengers leave for the airport well in advance. To ensure seamless check in, they should be at the airport at least 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure, and for long-haul flights where passport control is required, even another half an hour earlier,” said Martin Kučera, member of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, and added: “It is also necessary to review the conditions of carriage applied by the airline with which the person is travelling. For example, gate closing times vary between individual airlines. Passengers should find out in advance how many minutes before departure the airline closes the gate and adapt the planning of the previous steps – the journey to the airport and passage through the airport terminal – accordingly.”

Practical tips on how to prepare for your trip and what to expect at the airport before departure is provided, as in previous years, by the Prague Airport information campaign. Complex information within the framework of this campaign, called “Check-in”, is available on a special website at www.prg.aero/en/odbavte-se.

To ensure a more comfortable check-in for travellers, Prague Airport continues to develop self-service check-in options. To print a boarding pass, passengers can use self-service kiosks, of which there are a total of 31 in Terminals 1 and 2, and this service is provided by 16 airlines. In addition, 20 baggage self-check-in counters are available at Prague Airport, and this service is offered by 12 airlines. More and more passengers have been using self-service baggage check-in. While 3.1% of baggage was checked in this way last year, in the first quarter of this year, the share reached 4.7% of the total amount of checked-in baggage.

Prague Airport is installing new CT X-ray machines at the central security screening point in Terminal 2. There will be a total of six of them by the end of June. This will increase the security control capacity in Terminal 2 by 20%. Passengers will no longer be required to remove electronics and liquids from their carry-on baggage when going through the CT X-ray. This rule remains in place at other security checkpoints across the airport. The restriction on transported liquids in containers of a maximum volume of 100 ml also continues to apply. All such containers must be placed in one transparent, resealable plastic bag of a maximum volume of one litre.

It is recommended to transport any electronic devices in carry-on baggage. This is mandatory for safety reasons for devices with large batteries, such as power banks, laptops, tablets, etc. Small electronics with smaller built-in batteries (e.g., shavers and electric toothbrushes) may be carried both in hand and in checked baggage. However, passengers should make sure that the device is not accidentally turned on. In general, batteries of a maximum capacity of 100 Wh are permitted for transport.

It is also recommended that passengers review in advance the entry conditions of the country they are flying to. For example, for travel to the United Kingdom, citizens of EU member states, including Czechs, must have an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). It is also important to remember that electronic documents may not be used to prove identity at travel control. It is still necessary to travel with a paper – i.e. plastic – form of an ID card or passport.

Travellers can make their waiting time at the airport more pleasant in several ways. For example, there are relaxation zones available. The one in Terminal 2 has a capacity of up to 100 visitors. In addition to comfortable seats, there is also free Wi-Fi and sockets for charging mobile phones. For families with children, there are rooms in Terminals 1 and 2 with a changing table, a children's corner, and a kitchenette, where it is possible, for example, to reheat baby food. Children can have fun in the large play area in the transit part of the airport, or in smaller children's corners with toys located in individual gates.

Working with the tenants, the airport is extending the operating hours of selected restaurants, bistros, and snack shops so that passengers from all flights, including night flights, can be served. During the summer, passengers can choose from a total of 13 establishments which are open 24/7. These include the Runway Restaurant, which is accessible from both the public and restricted areas of the airport and offers breakfast and main courses of Czech and international cuisine. In its public part, meals may be enjoyed while watching the aircraft from the outdoor terrace. New shops have also been opened, such as the Sunglass Hut boutique in Terminal 2 and the Kamalion mobile accessories venue in Terminal 1. The Relay network has also been expanded. This summer season, there will be a total of nine shops by this brand at the airport offering various travel accessories.

Prague Airport Expects Delayed Arrivals This Summer Season

According to Eurocontrol data, air traffic in Europe is increasing by an average of 5% year-on-year (compared to 2024). This growth is expected to continue during the up-coming summer months. While in some parts of Europe, including the Czech Republic, the capacity of air traffic control centres remains manageable, in others it is significantly overloaded. This limits the possibilities of redistributing or rerouting flights, which results in an increase in flight delays. Therefore, at least the same level of delays is expected in Europe this summer as in the previous year.

According to available forecasts, Prague Airport should beat the 18 million handled passengers mark this year, thus breaking the record set in 2019.