What Happened in the Congress Hall at Prague Airport?

This information was revealed by Ing. Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Prague Airport. During a conference of the Women in Aviation association (hereinafter referred to as WIA), he informed attendees about investment plans and preparations for growth. Aviation is currently returning to pre-COVID levels, and in 2025, airlines operating from Václav Havel Airport Prague served 188 destinations via more than 80 carriers, handling 17.8 million passengers. A total of 140,805 movements were recorded; the decrease is due to the increased capacity of individual aircraft. The volume of cargo shipments transported via air routes (with passengers) is also increasing. This growing traffic necessitates the modernization of the airport to improve transport accessibility, which will certainly be aided by the planned railway line. The quality of services offered will also improve (e.g., growing demand for lounges). It is necessary to ensure clean and modern spaces that offer both comfort and security for passengers and staff, not only in terms of terminals but also parking garages, hotels, etc.

Discussions about the parallel runway, especially on social media, are endless. Why is a parallel runway so important from the airport’s perspective?

It will allow for a complete night-time closure of the airport between 24:00 and 06:00 to increase capacity during the daytime. Two runways (one primarily for departures, the other for arrivals) will shorten aircraft waiting times in the air and taxiing times on the ground, thereby reducing noise and emissions. Two parallel runways will contribute to further enhancing operational safety and will allow for the decommissioning of the current secondary runway, which will relieve densely populated areas of Prague and Kladno. Modernization of the runway system is planned after 2030.

Currently, Prague Airport employs approximately 3,100 people (plus staff from two subsidiaries). The average age of employees is decreasing, and the turnover rate is around 9%. The airport cooperates with many schools and is consistently ranked among the best employers.

Jana Sochorová, a member of the Board of Directors of Czech Airlines Handling (hereinafter referred to as CAH), captivatingly described what handling entails. This includes services related to passenger and aircraft handling.

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The first group includes not only the classic handling of passengers and their baggage at counters, but also transfer services, travel document verification, assistance services, and complaint handling. Six people provide support in the area of travel documentation, with the aim of preventing high fines for passengers if everything is not in order – i.e., the passenger does not have a valid document or its validity is shorter than required in the destination countries. There are currently many different types of passports in the world, some countries require visas, etc., and navigating all the documents can be truly challenging and confusing.

Baggage handling is carried out very sophisticatedly with the help of many cameras that repeatedly scan bar codes, minimizing the risk of loss or mis-sorting on the flight. Did you know that it is not allowed for baggage to fly without a passenger? This is to ensure security. The opposite scenario (i.e., a passenger without their baggage) can happen. People themselves can do the most for the smooth handling of their suitcases by following the exact procedure according to the instructions (during self-check-in) and correctly placing both the baggage tag and the small barcode, which serves as insurance in case the tag is lost or damaged. It is also very important to remove old tags and barcodes from suitcases, because if they remain on the baggage, the cameras can misinterpret them, delaying baggage handling. Ultimately, it could be you who flies on vacation without your belongings due to this seemingly trivial matter.

Aircraft handling includes complete care of baggage, aircraft fuelling, cargo flight handling, aircraft de-icing (in winter, the cabin is also heated for the crew and passengers before boarding), aircraft cleaning (since November 1, 2025, this is provided by another company, but CAH oversees the service), and connecting them to portable ground power units. Coordination of all services on arrival and departure is important to avoid delays.

Czech Airlines Handling currently serves 45 airlines, and women account for 40% of the total number of over 1,000 employees (employment contract or agreement to perform work).

CAH’s equipment includes de-icing vehicles, tankers, baggage tractor units, pallet trucks, ground power units, passenger stairs, baggage belts, and scissor loaders (a large one designed to lift up to 14 t, a small one 3.5 t).

Conference participants were able to try check-in for themselves at counters no. 200 and 201, which were reserved for this purpose. There was a great deal of interest, and the printed wish for a Merry Christmas on the boarding pass was a nice touch.

In addition to the aforementioned opportunity to experience check-in from the other side of the counter, conference participants had the chance to try virtual reality of Terminal 3, learn about security checks and see what passengers had tried to bring onto the plane, or chat with participants in the Zero-G project and take cognitive function tests that they underwent before flying in a specially modified Airbus.

Prof. Susan Durbin and Tinkumy Edafioghor from the University of the West of England spoke about the role of women in international aviation. Lenka Šťastná, Chairwoman of the jury, presented the first year of the prestigious international Women Changing the World Awards Czech & Slovak.

For the first time in history, WIA announced the Person of the Year 2025, which was Ing. Luboš Hlinovský, MBA (Director of the International Coordination and Strategy Department of Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic – ANS CR). He was behind the birth of the association, providing both mental and financial support.

Marta Guthová informed those present about the activities of the Women in Aviation association this year and also about plans for the future. Since its inception in September 2024, the association has come a long way and has also established international cooperation (e.g., with Women in Aviation International or the Royal Aeronautical Society UK). Among the planned activities for next year, the two-day event On Board the Future (March 2026), aimed primarily at upper primary and secondary school students, which will guide them through aviation across all its spectra, will certainly be worth attention. Aeroweb will be present at the event.

If you would like to ask Marta Guthová, Chairwoman of the association and Director of CATC, something not only about the activities of the Women in Aviation association, you have a unique opportunity on December 17, 2025, in classroom B5 of the Faculty of Transportation of the Czech Technical University in Prague at another of the ČsSL discussions, where Marta will be a guest. (ČsSL is a Czech aviation organization; it can be generalized as “at an aviation forum”)