Prague Airport Wants to Launch Direct Flights to Chicago, Vietnam and India

Prague Airport handled 65 percent of the passengers from the pre-pandemic year 2019. The plan is to expand the portfolio of destinations that can be reached directly from Prague.

In particular, the resumption of flights to North America is on the table, but also easier travel to the East.

The airport is negotiating the renewal of the route to Newark with United Airlines. Discussions are also taking place with its competitor, American Airlines, about restoring the route to Philadelphia.

“We are talking to them about a project that was just about to start, which was a connection to Chicago,” said Jiří Pos, chairman of the board of Prague Airport.

“We would also like to resume direct flights to Canada. Specifically to Toronto and Montreal. Flights across the ocean could be operated with Air Canada, but Air Transat is also an option,” he adds.

However, interesting destinations could also have connections in the eastbound direction. The closest route is probably to China, specifically to Beijing and Shanghai with China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

“There is certainly hope that this could happen this year. However, it will depend, among other things, on the development of the covid situation in China,” says Pos.

Prague airport is also in talks with three Indian airlines. A connection to Mumbai is an option, but Delhi is more likely, as the Indian capital has greater commercial potential, according to Pos.

Flights could also be launched from Prague to Vietnam, either with Vietnam Airlines or Bamboo Airways. There could also be another round of talks with Qatar Airlines in February for a route to Doha.

“We are also in new talks with Mongolia and Eznis Airlines there, which is an interesting opportunity. The Czech Republic has the largest Mongolian community in Europe and the job market is opening up, which could be a good reason to start operations between Ulaanbaatar and Prague,” Pos added.

Finally, there are also talks of a direct flight to Tokyo or Singapore.

These are all prospects for 2024 and 2025. But new non-stop destinations will also be available this year. Prague airport announced a renewed connection from Prague to Seoul.

There will also be new services to Europe. Cyprus Airlines will introduce a service to Larnaca, Icelandair to Keflavik, EasyJet to Lisbon, Eurowings to Rhodes and Corfu and Geneva, Ryanair to Gdansk, Rimini to Skiathos and Vueling to Bilbao.