Prague Airport has completed the second and final stage of modernising the area around the main runway 06/24. From tomorrow, all air traffic will be diverted back to this runway. Within four and a half months, Prague Airport managed to complete 14 construction and technological projects, along with 3 major investment projects carried out by external partners. Despite the construction process involving exceptionally demanding technical and coordination work, as well as unpredictable conditions, all key projects were completed on time. The total investment exceeded one billion crowns.
The closure of the main runway was the only way to bring together dozens of interconnected construction and technological projects within a limited timeframe—projects that could not have been carried out during normal operations. Thanks to meticulous preparation and the coordination of hundreds of workers, it was possible to complete the work in record time. Prague Airport is also aware that, during the closure of the main runway, the traffic diverted to the secondary runway meant increased noise pollution for residents of surrounding municipalities.
"We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of the residents of the municipalities affected by the temporary diversion of traffic to the secondary runway. We realise that several months of increased noise pollution has not been easy for local residents, and we apologise to them for the inconvenience caused. However, such an extensive modernisation of the main runway could not have been carried out in any other way or at any other time. Thanks to the completed investments, the main runway is now ready for more years of safe operation, and we do not plan another closure of a similar scale and duration in the coming years," says Jiří Kraus, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prague Airport.
Among Prague Airport's largest construction projects were the reconstruction and expansion of taxiway intersections, the construction of a new cable duct, the replacement of the airport perimeter fence, and the upgrading of LED aeronautical ground lighting used for the safe navigation of aircraft during take-off, landing and taxiing. The work was also accompanied by complications during the closure. One of the most technically demanding tasks was the construction of a new cable duct alongside the main runway, which involved boring beneath the runway itself at several points through exceptionally hard ground. These works were carried out around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The construction workers also had to adapt quickly to extreme summer temperatures.
Prague Airport is also continuing with its plan to construct a parallel runway. Once it is operational, the current secondary runway will be closed, allowing repairs or modifications to the runway system to be carried out without affecting the densely populated areas of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region. The airport also committed to closing the secondary runway following the construction of the parallel one in a declaration made in March of this year.
Interesting facts:
Paved areas were expanded by 8,000 m².
A total of 55,000 m2 of paved areas at the intersection of TWY D and F were reconstructed.
The project involved more than 3.3 km of new cable routes (during which 160 km of new cables were laid).
During the main runway closures in 2025 and 2026, 687 runway lights were replaced with LED lights, while 833 LED lights were replaced or newly installed on the taxiways. 69 LED information and command signs were also replaced.
Four full/width bore crossings beneath the runway and taxiways were carried out.
As part of the perimeter modernisation, 972 m of new fencing was installed.
Due to extremely high daytime temperatures, it was necessary to lay the final surface treatment to increase anti-slip properties at night.
