Czech tourists’ interest in travelling by air at Prague Airport increased by 33 percent last year compared to the same period in 2019. Last year, more than 3.3 million Czech tourists travelled abroad from Prague Airport, almost half a million more year-on-year. In 2019, it was 2.5 million Czech travellers. The airport does not expect a million passenger growth this year, targeting 15.5 million passengers. Jiří Pos, chairman of the board of Prague Airport, told journalists yesterday on the occasion of the completion of the airport’s new gastro zones. They are operated at Prague Airport by Lagardere Travel Retail.
According to Pos, the airport lacks long-haul flights to achieve greater growth. “The standard of service at the airport is already close to what it was before the covid,” he said. He said the airport has plans to expand its passenger services, especially refreshments. He said the opening of the new food zone is part of a long-term strategy to promote non-aeronautical trade. “This is mainly to cater to passenger demand, expanding our offering with new and interesting concepts and providing customers with a pleasant experience and comfort before their departure,” he said.
In the new zone, passengers can choose from 14 new bistros, bars, restaurants and other gastro outlets. New openings include Natoo Fresh Bistro, an Italian bar and Bottega Prosecco Bar & Restaurant. Czech businesses are represented by Bageterie Boulevard, which now offers food delivery directly to the departure gates. “As a purely Czech company, we have been planning our presence at our largest airport for a long time,” said Petr Cichoň, founder and director of Bageterie Boulevard, adding that he believes that successful Czech concepts should be presented at the Czech airport.
Prague Airport will now offer 85 outlets, 36 of which will focus on gastronomy. This year, it also plans to open a new duty-free pass-through zone directly behind the security checkpoint in Terminal 2.
Last year, 13.8 million passengers departed from Prague Václav Havel Airport. Year-on-year, the number of checked-in passengers increased by 29 per cent, reaching 78 per cent of the number of passengers in 2019 before the pandemic. Last year, 167 destinations were flown from Prague Airport to 69 carriers. The airport also offered more than 30 new or renewed routes last year. In a record year, the airport offered flights to 190 destinations in 2019. This year, Ruzyně Airport plans to offer more than 170 destinations. It also plans to increase frequencies on more than 30 routes.
Source: CTK
Photo: Lagardere Travel Retail
