Prague’s Václav Havel Airport welcomes record number of visitors in 2018

A record number of tourists is expected to flock the Czech Republic in 2018, and Prague’s Václav Havel Airport has already welcomed the most travelers in its history.

Yesterday, Václav Havel Airport officially saw its 16 millionth passenger of 2018, which far exceeds the previous high of 15.4 million in 2017.

With another 600,000 visitors expected to come to Prague’s Christmas markets over the holiday season, Václav Havel Airport is expecting to serve more than a million more travelers than it did last year.

“For the third consecutive year, Prague Airport has seen record of the number of checked-in passengers,” Airport Chairman Václav Řehoř stated in a press release.

“For the full year of 2018, we expect approximately 1.4 million passengers to pay more than in the previous year. We also expect growth in 2019, both in the number of checked-in passengers, which can be 3 to 5 percent higher, and in the number of direct flights.”

The hike in 2018 passengers represents a 9% year-on-year growth. It’s also a 22% growth over 2016, when Václav Havel Airport welcomed 13.07 million passengers.

Due in part to the increased number of travelers served, the airport has a number of plans for expansions and improvements in the coming years.

Those include an increased number of direct flights to both American and Asian destinations, and an expanded number of gates to accommodate the additional flights.

As of this winter season, Václav Havel Airport currently offers direct flights to a total of 114 destinations in 42 countries around the world. The UK is the country most-served by Prague’s main airport, with direct flights to 16 cities.