In Pardubice, the construction of the airport terminal begins this week

Pardubice - The demolition of unnecessary warehouses will start on Thursday for the construction of the airport terminal in Pardubice. By October next year, it could handle its first passengers. Petr Kafka, the proxy of the construction company Strabag, said this to ČTK today. The current terminal no longer meets the standards of air transport, according to the management.

A consortium of two companies won the contract priced at 256 million crowns. They will first start building the access road and in September will begin work on the airport hall. Up to a hundred people will work on both constructions.

"By winter, the building will be resistant to wind and rain, and completed by June next year. Then we will be working on the technology and testing it. We will finish the work in September, and then we have 14 days for trial operation," Kafka said.

The terminal was supposed to be built last year, but construction companies offered prices around 400 million crowns. The East Bohemian Airport (EBA) decided to reduce the cost of construction and issue a new tender. For example, the second floor will not have equipped offices. Savings were also made on the transformer station and air conditioning, which will be placed outdoors instead of inside the building. Jiří Požár, who is responsible for technical supervision, told ČTK that it will be necessary to monitor quality, budget, and compliance with the schedule.

"The construction must be of high quality because it is an exceptionally representative building. I will have to pay close attention to finances; the budget is fixed and must not be exceeded," Požár added.

The shareholders of EBA, which are the city of Pardubice and the Pardubice Region, have been looking for common ground for a long time, and it was uncertain whether they would agree on the need for the terminal construction. The airport has been experiencing a significant decline in passenger numbers for the second year, losing regular flights to Russia last year, where Russian passengers generated the most revenue.

While Pardubice insisted on the necessity of the new terminal, the regional government hesitated and wanted guarantees. Mayor Martin Charvát (ANO) said to those present today, just before the groundbreaking ceremony, that he has positive feelings about today, that it is a quality project with quality partners. He expects that passenger numbers will rise again.

Governor Martin Netolický (ČSSD) was more critical, describing this year's quarterly results of the airport as tragic. Compared to last year, the number of passengers has dropped from about 19,000 to approximately 2,600. He also added that he does not envy the position of the airport management and the company's board.