Czech Railways (ČD), Siemens Mobility and Škoda Transportation unveiled the first fixed-formation ComfortJet push-pull train for cross-border services at Prague main station on April 9. Siemens and Škoda are supplying 20 nine-car 230km/h ComfortJet trains to ČD under a €500m contract awarded in March 2021. ČD also awarded Siemens a contract to supply 50 Vectron multi-voltage locomotives and agreed a 10-year full-service maintenance contract under which ČD maintenance staff will transfer to the manufacturer. The new trains will be maintained at the ČD Prague South facility near Prague Vršovice station, where the construction of a new maintenance building for the ComfortJet fleet is under consideration by ČD. The first ComfortJet unveiled in Prague was formed of eight coaches, rather than the standard formation of nine cars. The second class/bistro car and first class driving trailer were missing as deliveries of these coaches have yet to start. The first ComfortJet is currently running under temporary approval granted by national rail safety regulator Drážní úřad. ČD and the manufacturers are hopeful that the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) will soon grant the Authorisation to Place on the Market (APOM) that is required for the new train to enter passenger service. The...
Czech regional airports are spreading their wings! In a historic first, Ostrava will offer direct flights to both Phuket, Thailand, and the idyllic island of Mauritius. Sun-seekers in Brno will also rejoice, as they’ll gain access to these same tropical paradises. While Brno already boasted direct Thailand flights last season, Mauritius is a brand new adventure for both airports. These exciting new routes will be operated as charter flights in collaboration with travel agency Čedok and Italian carrier Neos. “This winter season marks a new chapter not only for Čedok, but also for Ostrava and Brno airports,” says Čedok CEO Stanislav Zeman. “We’re committed to bringing the world closer to our clients, offering comfortable travel experiences that allow them to explore new horizons.” Zeman highlights Thailand’s enduring popularity as a top exotic destination for Čedok. This motivated the agency to offer direct flights to Phuket from both Brno and Ostrava during the winter months. For those seeking the allure of Mauritius, Čedok provides a convenient option with a short stopover. Both routes will utilize Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners operated by Neos. Looking back, Zeman expressed ambitious expansion plans for Ostrava Airport in 2024. This summer, Čedok will fly passengers from the...
From 9 July 2024, Václav Havel Airport Prague will, once again, handle direct flights to Cairo. The national carrier of Egypt, EGYPTAIR, will operate the connection to the Egyptian capital three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The route will also offer interesting options for catching connecting flights to another 75 destinations within EGYPTAIR’s network, including cities in Egypt and the whole of Africa, China, and India. Direct regular flights to Cairo will land in Prague for the first time since 2011 when Czech Airlines ceased its operation of the route. To service the connection, the carrier will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft with capacity for 154 passengers divided into 16 Business Class seats and 138 Economy Class seats. With a population of ten million, Cairo is the second most populous city in Africa after Lagos. The capital of Egypt is located on the right bank of the River Nile. Its dominant features are modern skyscrapers and luxury hotels, which are in a juxtaposition to the ancient pyramids located on the left bank in Giza. Cairo’s most visited sights include a number of important museums, the world-famous Khan al-Khalili market, and the 186-metre-high Burj al-Cairo tower, which in good...
Prague will, once again, have a direct connection with China. Effective 24 June, Hainan Airlines is resuming its direct route to Beijing, which the carrier will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Flights will be served by an Airbus A330. Praha opět získá přímé spojení s Čínou 🥳🇨🇳! @HainanAirlines od 24. června obnoví svoji přímou linku do Pekingu, kterou budou provozovat třikrát týdně vždy v pondělí, ve středu a v pátek. Lety do čínské metropole bude obsluhovat Airbus A330 s kapacitou pro 292 cestujících ✈️. pic.twitter.com/vDDSnBqPWx — Prague Airport (@PragueAirport) April 3, 2024 Flights will depart Beijing at 2:30 am, arriving in Prague at 6:45 am. The return flights will leave Prague at 2:00 pm, touching down in Beijing at 5:20 am the following day. Ticket sales are yet to be announced. Hainan Airlines holds the distinction of being the first Chinese carrier to connect Prague with Beijing. The inaugural flight took place in September 2015. Then-President Miloš Zeman hailed the route’s launch as a significant achievement of Czech-Chinese relations. Initially, due to passenger loads, the Airbus A330-300 deployed on the route continued onwards to Belgrade after serving Prague for three years. Prior to the pandemic,...
Georgian Wings is planning to launch a direct route from Prague to Tbilisi, which the carrier will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4 May, using Boeing 737-300 aircraft with capacity for 148 passengers. “We are glad that we managed to resume the direct connection with Tbilisi. This is the second route to Georgia, which is positive news for several reasons, for example in terms of enhancing both inbound and outbound tourism. Travellers from both countries enjoy a visa-free regime,” Jaroslav Filip, Prague Airport Aviation Business Director, said. The capital of Georgia is located at the foot of the mountains and is nicknamed the Pearl of the Caucasus. It offers an unusually large number of opportunities for traditional and non-traditional travel experiences. In the city centre, travellers can visit, for example, Freedom Square with the statue of St. George and Rustaveli Street with the National Museum. Furthermore, the city is home to the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, called Sameba in Georgian. Also worth mentioning is the Narikala Fortress with the church of St. Nicholas, from where the best view of the city and the Mtkvari river is to be had. The Mtatsminda amusement park, where...
The Czech railway operator RegioJet performed its first trip on the Prague-Chop route. The overnight train from Prague with 120 passengers on board arrived at the Chop station on schedule at 10:35 Kyiv time, the railway operator’s press service reported on Thursday. As reported, from March 27, RegioJet is launching a second line to Ukraine through Slovakia to Chop in addition to the existing one through the Polish Przemysl. The route has three carriages with 140 seats, which travel as part of the Prague-Kosice train. Ticket prices range from EUR 18.9 to EUR 67.9 including meals. The night train Prague-Chop departs from Prague (the Czech Republic) at 21:52, from Kosice (Slovakia) at 06:38 am and arrives in Chop at 10:35. In the opposite direction, departure from Chop is at 17:35, from Kosice at 21:37, and arrival in Prague at 05:46 the next day. JSC Ukrzaliznytsia is launching a special transfer train No. 345/346 Chernivtsi-Chop-Uzhgorod, which will connect with the new international route Prague-Chop. Transfer train No. 345/346 Chernivtsi-Chop-Uzhgorod will depart from Chernivtsi daily at 05:30, proceed through Ivano-Frankivsk (08:13-08:27), Stryi (11:20-11:50), Mukachevo (15 :13-15:18), Chop (16:28-16:57), arrive in Uzhgorod at 17:20. In the opposite direction, departure from Uzhgorod is at...
SunExpress is launching a new direct seasonal route between Prague and Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. The flights will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, from June 5th to September 29th, 2024. Affordable Travel with Checked Baggage Included Tickets are already available for purchase, with one-way fares starting from a budget-friendly CZK 3,000. This price includes a checked baggage allowance of up to 30kg, eliminating the need for additional fees. The flight time is approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes. Departures from Prague will be at 9:40 PM, while flights from Izmir will take off at 7:00 PM. SunExpress will operate the route using Boeing 737-800 or 737 MAX 8 aircraft, both configured to comfortably seat 189 passengers. Additional Option: Smartwings Enters the Market Starting May 30th, Czech airline Smartwings will also offer flights between Prague and Izmir. Their service will operate on Mondays and Thursdays. However, it’s important to note that Smartwings’ one-way fares start from CZK 4,900 and do not include checked baggage in the base price. Located on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, Izmir boasts a population of 2.96 million, making it Turkey’s third-largest city. Surrounded by rolling hills, the city enjoys a typical...
Glamping is getting more and more popular, and it’s completely understandable. However, what about connecting glamping with the healthy benefits of bees? You can experience this unique connection only in Spaní na medu, which can be translated literally as sleeping on honey. Are you interested in discovering more? Why is Spaní na medu so special Spaní na medu is not a typical glamping experience. Here you have an extra benefit that you won’t find anywhere else in the Czech Republic. You share this home with bees. There is no need to worry about your interaction. Bees have their hive in the lower part, and you have a total of 27 square meters of comfort for your disposal in the upper part. However, if you find a secret slat, you can peep inside the hive, even from your part. The concept of accommodation is thought through to the last detail. Thanks to the big window, you can watch the life of bees from a safe distance. Furthermore, the bench you are sitting on by the window is situated just above the hive. It means that you can feel the vibrating power of the bees literally under your bottom. There is even...
Astana, Tallinn, Florence, and Verona are the new destinations Prague Airport is adding to the direct connection network operated under the summer flight schedule, the effect of which commences on the last day of March. A total of 68 carriers will offer services to 167 destinations. New connections to popular holiday destinations, such as Brindisi, Izmir, La Palma, and Ponta Delgada, will also be launched. In terms of the number of destinations and carriers, Prague Airport will reach almost 90 percent of the offer of the 2019 record year. Additional increases in the number of flight frequencies on more than thirty routes have also been scheduled. Prague Airport will handle up to 93 flights to London a week and 59 connections to Antalya. Passengers will be able to choose from up to 57 flights to Paris, up to 54 flights to Amsterdam, and 40 weekly connections to Milan. A higher number of connections will also be operated on direct routes to destinations such as Barcelona, Oslo, Marseille, and Copenhagen. More Capacity A significant increase in the number of flights (10 times a week) and the seat capacity offered will also be seen on the regular connection of Qatar Airways thanks...
Ten months after the first ride from Brussels to Berlin, European Sleeper introduces new stops in Dresden, Bad Schandau, and Prague. The train will then connect four countries and four European capitals. Even Paris and London are well connected with a single transfer in Brussels. The route extension will be unveiled with a special event on 25 March 2024, where press, trade, and partners can board the train in Brussels and arrive in Prague the next day. On 26 March the official launch will be celebrated in Prague around the very first departure to Amsterdam and Brussels. The event is organised in collaboration with, Prague City Tourism, CzechTourism, visit.brussels, Visit Dresden, and České dráhy. The Dutch-Belgian night train operator European Sleeper is part of the movement that put night trains in Europe back on the map. Trains offer an attractive alternative to other modes of transportation and produce up to 28 times less greenhouse emissions than planes, for example. Another significant benefit of night trains is their ability to transform lengthy distances into a mere overnight journey, allowing passengers to travel efficiently as they sleep. Martin Kupka, the Czech Minister of Transport commented: “Night trains are now making a comeback...
Czech private railway operator RegioJet has announced the launch of a brand new train route connecting Prague, Czech Republic, with Chop, Ukraine. The service kicks off on Wednesday, March 27th, but passengers can already secure their tickets. This new line serves as an alternative to the existing route linking Prague with the Polish border town of Przemysl. According to ZDopravy.cz, a key advantage lies in the smooth border crossing between Slovakia and Ukraine. Unlike buses, this train route avoids longer wait times. RegioJet’s owner, Radim Jančura, revealed that the Chop-Prague route will consist of three cars with 140 seats, including 80 in sleeper cars and 60 in seated cars. RegioJet will collaborate with Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) on this new service. Plans are underway to extend the line further to Mukachevo, a city in the Transcarpathian region. The new connection complements RegioJet’s existing Prague-Košice route. Passengers can choose between comfortable sleeper cars and regular seating. The ticket price encompasses both breakfast and dinner, offering excellent value. Prices start from 459 CZK for a seat and 740 CZK for a sleeper berth. RegioJet will not be the only operator of passenger trains on 1435-mm-gauge lines to Ukraine. Slovakia’s national operator ZSSK operates...
Travelers between the Czech Republic and Japan may soon enjoy the convenience of direct flights. During a visit to Japan, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) signed an agreement with his counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, paving the way for a direct air link between Prague and Tokyo. Currently, flying from Prague’s Václav Havel Airport to Japan requires stopovers, significantly extending the journey and adding costs. Travelers typically face layovers in Dubai, Qatar, Rome, or other locations, pushing the price range between CZK 15,000 and CZK 30,000. “This agreement is a crucial foundation for future direct flights between the Czech Republic and Japan,” Lipavský stated at a press conference. The next step lies with airlines, who will finalize the specifics of the direct flights. “In Asia, it’s common for governments to pave the way before commercial agreements are made,” explained Daniel Drake, the ministry’s spokesperson. Lipavský emphasized the importance of Czech-Japanese relations, highlighting Japan, alongside India and Australia, as a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region. He pointed out the significant number of Japanese tourists visiting Prague annually, along with the presence of Japanese companies operating in the Czech Republic. Although pre-pandemic travel figures haven’t been reached yet, the number of Japanese...
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