Karlovy Vary Airport opened a new terminal designed by architect Parolek

Karlovy Vary - The international airport in Karlovy Vary has a new modern terminal available from today, costing 98.1 million Czech crowns. It can thus handle up to half a million passengers per year. However, it is still far from this, as around 71,000 passengers used its services last year. The airport director Václav Černý informed journalists about this. The Karlovy Vary Region, which owns the airport, obtained 80.1 million crowns from the European Regional Development Fund for the construction of the terminal.
    Architect Petr Parolek gave the terminal a futuristic shape resembling a jet engine. Passengers have been able to use it since February, when the Civil Aviation Authority allowed for its early use. Now all services that significantly improve both check-in and waiting times for departures are available in the hall. "In addition to the check-in area, there are spaces for commercial purposes in the terminal. Retailers and restaurants have found their place here," Černý stated.
    Despite the crisis, the airport managed to maintain a growth trend in the number of checked-in passengers in the first quarter of this year. A total of 10,877 passengers passed through the terminal, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent. However, it is uncertain whether this growth will continue in the summer season, which is the most interesting for the airport. Travel agencies have reduced the number of charter flights to seaside resorts from five destinations to two. The Egyptian Hurghada, Tunisian Monastir, and Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete have been dropped.
    According to Černý, passengers must fly to these destinations from Prague. This year, charter flights from Karlovy Vary will continue only to Turkish Antalya and the Greek island of Rhodes. The airport had been aware of the cancellation of charter flights to Egypt and Crete since late 2008, and the cancellation of flights to Egypt was announced about a week ago, Černý said. "It was supposed to be a series of 19 flights. This means a loss of about one million crowns for us. With annual revenues of approximately 55 million crowns, this should not be such a dramatic shortfall," Černý noted.
    Since 2005, the international airport in Karlovy Vary has undergone three phases of modernization and expansion. The last phase was the opening of the new terminal today. Total investments in the airport have reached approximately 300 million crowns. More than half was contributed by the European Union from its development funds, as well as the so-called Norwegian financial mechanisms. The Karlovy Vary Region invested around 130 million crowns in the modernization, and the airport operator, Letiště Karlovy Vary, invested nearly 16 million crowns.
    In the first two phases, the runway was reconstructed to achieve higher surface load capacity. Concurrently with this phase, a second phase addressed the modernization of the lighting security system. Thanks to these modifications, aircraft from the Boeing 737 or Airbus 320 series can land at the airport. The third phase involved renovating the old terminal so that after the Czech Republic joined the Schengen area, it met the requirements for passenger check-in. This phase was completed with the construction of a new terminal connected to the old hall.
    The international airport of the Karlovy Vary Region in Olšové Vraty operated last year with a profit of over three million crowns. Compared to 2007, that is about half a million crowns more. The airport's balance sheet improved for the second consecutive year. In 2006, it suffered a loss of 1.8 million crowns. This year, the airport management expects a profit of 3.8 million crowns. CSA and Russian Aeroflot maintain a dominant position among carriers. The airport and regional management are still negotiating connections to some major airports in Germany, such as Frankfurt.
    Whether an agreement can be reached remains unclear. The region would have to cover any potential losses on these routes. These could be as much as over ten million euros annually. Governor Josef Novotný stated that it would be a mistake to focus solely on Western destinations. "We must also turn our attention to the East; China has expressed interest several times regarding a route to Karlovy Vary. I have signals that it is also interesting for wealthy clientele from some Arab countries. We also need to negotiate about this," said the governor.