Developmental Aspects of Regional Airports in the Czech Republic

Abstract

This paper aims to compare the developmental aspects of regional airports in the Czech Republic. Only international airports were included in the selection, namely airports with an IATA code (IATA – International Air Transport Association). The following factors affected the selection of airports: air transport volume and the runway length. All public international airports with scheduled and non-scheduled commercial traffic have been included in the selection, these airports being The Brno – Tuřany Airport (BRQ), Leoš Janáček Airport Ostrava (OSR), Pardubice Airport (PED) and Karlovy Vary Airport (KLV). The list intentionally excludes the Vaclav Havel Airport (PRG), which, being the airport of the capital city, would have excessive impact on the evaluation of the monitored statistical data. In terms of individual airports, the author evaluates the impact of runway parameters, reference field length and the parameters of radio navigation and lighting equipment. Other monitored aspects include the population of the respective cities (or cities where the airport is located), the airport's location relative to the city centre and its transport connection. The last monitored aspect is the impact of competing foreign airports from across the border on the regional airport's development. The aim is to prove or disprove the idea that the airport with best equipment and location (airport with the greatest potential) should exhibit the best performance in terms of the number of passengers throughput, number of movements and the cargo throughput.