Prague Airport is entering the summer season. There are more destinations and long-haul flights on offer

“At the moment, dye to the current geopolitical situation, it is very difficult to predict the impact on the upcoming summer season. We are in regular contact with individual carriers and we will continuously assess their specific operational and financial constraints and the impact on overall passenger demand,” explains Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Board of Prague Airport, adding: “This year’s summer flight schedule, as it currently stands, once again confirms our excellent connectivity with Europe. In addition to increased services on existing routes, passengers can also take advantage of new regular services to popular holiday destinations during the summer, such as Ibiza in Spain and Bodrum in Turkey. The development of long-haul flights is part of our long-term strategy, which is why we are delighted to be launching two more long-haul routes. “As early as 21 May, American Airlines will launch a new regular route from Philadelphia in the US, and in August we look forward to welcoming the new long-haul carrier, STARLUX Airlines, which will begin operating regular flights to Taipei.”

In total, the number of flights from Václav Havel Airport Prague will increase to more than 30 routes during the summer season. The carrier Etihad Airways plans to operate daily flights to Abu Dhabi (originally it was three times a week); however, given the current situation in the Middle East, it will start the summer season with a reduced number of flights. The new STARLUX Airlines route to Taipei will operate three times a week from 1 August. From 1 October, this airline, for which Prague is its first European destination, will increase the number of flights to four a week. Air Canada will also add one weekly service in the summer on its route to Toronto (now operating four times a week), as will China Airlines on its route to Taipei (now operating three times a week).

The airline Smartwings is increasing the number of flights year-on-year on routes such as Valencia (now a daily service), Malaga (now twice daily), Paris (now three times daily) and Samos (now four times a week). Compared to last summer’s season, Smartwings will now also be flying to destinations such as Barcelona (daily), Rome (daily), Toulouse (twice a week), Bilbao (twice a week) and Porto (twice a week). Among low-cost carriers, Ryanair will add new frequencies on 16 of its routes (e.g. on routes from Košice, Tirana and Milan), Pegasus Airlines will increase the number of flights on its route from Istanbul (now 16 times a week), and Wizz Air will launch new summer routes connecting Prague with Skopje, Iași and Timișoara. 

More CT scans and self-service technologies

In early May, the airport will put two new CT scanners into operation as part of the central security screening process in Terminal 2, bringing the total number there to eight. “As our survey shows, the operation of CT scanners in Terminal 2 so far has brought a significant increase in passenger satisfaction with security checks.” Thanks to this modern technology, it is faster and smoother,” explains Jiří Pos.

When passing through a CT scanner, passengers do not have to remove electronic devices and liquids from their hand luggage. This requirement remains in place at the remaining security screening lanes. Another advantage for passengers departing from Terminal 2 is that, in addition to the standard allowance of liquids in containers of up to 100 millilitres in a bag of up to 1 litre, they may take one extra container of up to two litres. In Terminal 1, the use of CT scanners is not yet possible to due to the current decentralised layout of security screening. However, the installation of this modern technology is planned here for the future as part of the planned modernisation. This will involve the construction of a central security checkpoint within Terminal 1, which will enable the deployment of CT scanners. The rules in Terminal 1 therefore remain unchanged: only liquids of up to 100 millilitres, packed in a single transparent one-litre bag, are permitted. Passengers must remove all liquids and electronic devices from their luggage and present them separately for inspection.  

New state-of-the-art technology will also be available to passengers this summer in selected departure lounges in Terminal 2. This is a so-called self-boarding gate, or an automated gate that passengers open themselves by scanning their boarding pass, thereby allowing them to board the aircraft. Automation will enable a smoother boarding process; the airport will install this technology in four departure lounges in Terminal 2 at the end of April and beginning of May.

The development of self-service facilities is also continuing. The Terminal 2 departure hall will be fitted with an additional twelve self-service baggage drop-off desks before the start of the summer holidays, which are traditionally the busiest time of year in terms of operations. These are an alternative to traditional check-in desks, where queues can form during peak times. Passengers at Prague Airport will thus have a total of 32 self-service baggage drop-off desks at their disposal. The self-service baggage drop-off service is now supported by 17 airlines at Prague Airport, with more expected to follow.

Prague Airport expects to handle over 12 million passengers during the summer season (a 6.6% year-on-year increase). Before start of the peak summer months, the airport will launch a communication campaign offering practical advice to passengers on how to prepare for their journey and what to expect before departure.

Selected highlights of the 2026 summer season

Selected new destinations

• Amman (Ryanair)*
• Bordeaux (easyJet)
• Cork (Aer Lingus)
• Philadelphia (American Airlines)
• Iași (Wizz Air)
• Sanya (SCAT Airlines)
• Skopje (Wizz Air)
• Sharjah (Air Arabia)*
• Timișoara (Wizz Air)
• Toulouse (Smartwings)

Selected new routes to popular holiday destinations 

• Bodrum (AJet)
• Brindisi (Eurowings)
• Faro (Eurowings)
• Ibiza (Eurowings)

Selected routes with increased flight frequencies (compared to last summer’s operational season)

• Taipei (China Airlines +1 flight a week, 3 flights a week in total; STARLUX Airlines: now 3 flights a week, increasing to 4 flights a week from October)
• Malaga (Smartwings +7 flights a week, 14 flights a week in total)
• Frankfurt am Main (Condor +7 flights a week, 21 flights a week in total)
• Abu Dhabi* (Etihad Airways +4 flights a week, 7 flights a week in total)
• Istanbul (Pegasus Airlines +3 flights a week, 16 flights a week in total)
• Valencia (Smartwings +3 flights a week, 7 flights a week in total)
• Košice (Ryanair +3 flights a week, 7 flights a week in total)
• Vilnius (Air Baltic +1 flight a week, 3 flights a week in total)

Top 5 countries by number of destinations

• Italy (20)
• Greece (20)
• Spain (18)
• United Kingdom (14)
• France (9)

* depending on the development of the situation in the Middle East