Prague Airport continues to modernise the main runway surroundings

The closure of the main runway will also affect part of the summer season. "We will use the secondary runway for all air traffic for as long as necessary. This year, the closure is also taking place during the spring and summer months because the runway is not equipped for low visibility take-offs and landings. For this reason, we are carrying out repairs in the months when, based on long-term statistics, the incidence of fog is lowest. We apologize to the citizens affected by this situation, but until the parallel runway is in operation, we have no other option than to transfer all traffic to the secondary runway," says Eva Krejčí, Director of Prague Airport Communications and Marketing, and added: "We are in close contact with the representatives of the surrounding areas affected by the main runway closure, and this year we will again make a financial donation to these municipalities." During the main runway closure, arrivals will be planned primarily from the direction of Prague, while take-offs will be directed towards Kladno.

The redevelopment of the main runway surroundings is one of the first modernisation projects for the Václav Havel Airport Prague in the coming years. During the closure, a total of 14 Prague Airport projects worth around CZK 1 billion will be carried out, supplemented by three projects by external partners – Pražská plynárenská will replace a high-pressure gas pipeline, the Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic will replace the ILS (Instrument Landing System) radio navigation technology for the direction of Runway 24 and the Road and Motorway Directorate will carry out work to increase the capacity of the Aviatická x Lipská intersection. The coordination of such a large number of construction and technological actions is the result of long-term preparation and cooperation of all stakeholders.

Among the largest construction projects at Prague Airport will be the reconstruction and expansion of taxiway crossings, the construction of a new cable duct, the replacement of the airport perimeter fence, and the replacement of LED signals used for the safe navigation of aircraft during take-off, landing and taxiing. All these and other projects are necessary for long-term sustainability and readiness for future operational demands in order to maintain a high standard of safety and operational reliability at Václav Havel Airport Prague. In addition to these projects, a set of standard maintenance activities will be carried out during the closure, such as the maintenance of paved and unpaved surfaces, maintenance of underground structures, rubber removal, restoration of horizontal signage, and other activities. However, the repairs do not concern the main runway itself, which was completely reconstructed in 2012 and 2013. 

It is expected that all work will be completed this year, and no such extensive closure is planned for next year. "Unfortunately, the repairs could not be carried out all at once in a single year, as we would have been operating during months with a higher incidence of adverse weather conditions, especially fog, which would have jeopardised the airport's operability. All the work we are carrying out around the main runway during these two years is being completed in an exceptionally short period of time," clarifies Eva Krejčí. At the same time, Prague Airport is continuing its plan to build a parallel runway. Once it is operational, the current secondary runway will be closed, and it will be possible to carry out repairs or modifications to the runway system so that they do not affect the densely populated areas of Prague and the Central Bohemia Region. At the present moment, Prague Airport has a non-final zoning decision issued for the parallel runway project.

Key facts about the main runway closure:

• The closure will last 4.5 months (30 March 14 August 2026).
• All traffic will be directed solely to the secondary runway 12/30.
• Before the start of summer operations, there will be a short-term, approximately four-day closure of the secondary runway12/30 for its preparation.
• 565 LED signals will be installed.
• More than 3.3 km of new cable routes will be built and approximately 160 km of cables will be laid.
• The expansion of paved areas will reach almost 8,000 m².
• In total, approximately 55,000 m² of taxiways will be repaired or reconstructed.