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České Budějovice Airport

Coordinates: 48°56′47″N 014°25′41″E / 48.94639°N 14.42806°E / 48.94639; 14.42806
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České Budějovice Airport

Letiště České Budějovice
Summary
Airport typePublic
ServesČeské Budějovice
Opened27 June 1937
Elevation AMSL432 m / 1,417 ft
Coordinates48°56′47″N 014°25′41″E / 48.94639°N 14.42806°E / 48.94639; 14.42806
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 8,398 2,560 Concrete

České Budějovice Airport (ICAO: LKCS, IATA: JCL[1]) is a domestic and international airport operated by South Bohemian Airport České Budějovice a.s., owned by the South Bohemian Region. It is 6 km from the centre of České Budějovice, in the direction of Český Krumlov. Modernization to the public international airport has been completed in August 2023, when it launched its first international connection.[2]

The company South Bohemian Airport České Budějovice holds the license for non-public international traffic. It is authorized to receive and dispatch medium-sized aircraft up to a wingspan of 36 meters. Due to lack of equipment, the airport cannot accept flights in bad weather; aircraft can land only in daylight and in good visibility (VFR). In addition, flights requiring customs clearance and the presence of customs and immigration services must register 24 hours in advance. At present, the airport is most used for sports and limited commercial flights; regular airport clients are firms with business interests in southern Bohemia.

History

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In 1932, the construction of the airport for the needs of the Aeroclub České Budějovice and the Czechoslovak Air Force began; ceremonial commissioning was on 27 June 1937. During the Nazi occupation, the airport was a backup and training base of the German Luftwaffe. After the liberation, the Czechoslovak Army took over the airport. Between 1950 and 1952, the airport was completely modernized, after which the Aeroklub České Budějovice was no longer permitted to operate at the airport and moved to Hosín airport.

Between 1952 and 31 December 1994, the 1st Air Force Regiment "Zvolenský" was based at the local airport. The presence of the Czechoslovak Air Force was gradually reduced during the 1990s, culminating in the closure of the military base in 2005.

Modernisation

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Thorough modernization and reconstruction of the airport started in 2009, to bring it to a similar standard to other regional airports in the Czech Republic. The investor in this project is the owner of the complex, the South Bohemian Region.[3]

The first phase was completed in June 2016, including the repair of the runway and taxiways, the reinforcement of the runway surface and the addition of new navigatation aids for conventional airplanes. In addition, an in-house communications, engineering networks and a security center were built.

Phase II comprises the construction of a new terminal, expanding aircraft stands, improving access roads and car parks for passengers, and providing public lighting. Once the terminal building is completed, there will be a certification process, lasting six to twelve months, allowing international traffic. The airport will be a fully certified airport for charter, tourist, business, freight and domestic transportation, with aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 permitted to land.

Construction of the new terminal started in December 2017, full operation was planned for the end of 2020.[4]

České Budějovice finally received its first commercial service on the second of August 2023, being a charter flight to the Turkish city of Antalya, operated by Smartwings for Cedok tour operator. In the days afterwards, flights to Greek islands Heraklion and Rhodes were inaugurated, too.[5] As operations succeeded, summer season 2024 will see an expanded offer including two new charter destinations, tunesian city Enfidha and Burgas in Bulgaria.[6]

Airlines and destinations

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The following airlines operate scheduled or charter flights at České Budějovice Airport:

AirlinesDestinations
Corendon Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya,[7] Heraklion,[8] Hurghada[9]
Fly Lili Seasonal charter: Burgas[10]
Smartwings Seasonal charter: Antalya,[11] Burgas,[12] Enfidha (begins 30 July 2024),[13] Heraklion, Palma de Mallorca,[7] Rhodes

References

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  1. ^ a b "Airline and Location Code Search". www.iata.org. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. ^ "Letiště České Budějovice zahájilo mezinárodní provoz, jako šesté v republice. První let míří do Turecka". iROZHLAS (in Czech). 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Modernizace". airport-cb.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-01-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Jihočeské letiště zahájí plný provoz do konce roku 2020". Ceskenoviny.cz (in Czech). 2019-06-27. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "New Route of the Day (2 August 2023): Smartwings between Ceske Budejovice and Antalya". 8 August 2023.
  6. ^ "New Route of the Day (7 August 2023): Smartwings between Ceske Budejovice and Rhodes". 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Fischer - dovolená s odlety z Českých Budějovic!".
  8. ^ "Čedok - Corendon" (in Czech). cedok.cz.
  9. ^ Liu, Jim (9 December 2024). "Corendon NW24 Eastern Europe – Hurghada Charter Network Additions". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Fly Lili: Karlovy Vary/České Budějovice – Burgas". 8 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Čedok přidá další lety z Českých Budějovic do turecké Antalye".
  12. ^ "Letecká přeprava".
  13. ^ "Startuje provoz v Českých Budějovicích!".
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