Business travellers heading through Václav Havel Airport Prague (LKPR) this weekend should double-check flight status and allow extra ground time. A series of new Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) published at 06:00 UTC on 18 July temporarily closes Taxiway D between Taxiways J and B as well as part of Taxiway J for daytime works. The airport has also declared the Visual Docking Guidance System on Stand 5 unserviceable until 20 July. More significant for airlines is NOTAM B2170/26, issued on 17 July, which takes the ILS and DME for Runway 28 out of service until 19 July. During the outage, aircraft must fly non-precision RNAV or VOR approaches in poor visibility, adding a few extra minutes to approach profiles and increasing crew workload. Prague typically handles more than 500 movements per day in the summer peak; the airport’s operations team warns that flow-control slots may be used during low-cloud periods. Ground handling providers have advised carriers to expect gate substitutions and revised taxi routings while works are in progress. Wide-body aircraft may be marshalled rather than using automated guidance on affected stands, which can slow boarding and turnaround times. Private and corporate operators using Terminal 3 are being asked to file flight plans at least six hours in advance so slots can be sequenced around the closures. Although the works are routine maintenance tied to the airport’s summer reconstruction programme, they coincide with the first big holiday weekend for Czech families, raising the risk of knock-on delays. Travellers connecting to early-morning departures should plan to arrive at the terminal at least 30 minutes earlier than usual, and ground transport users should factor in ongoing roadworks at the Aviatická–Lipská interchange near the terminal entrance. Airport management says the repairs will improve pavement friction and lighting reliability ahead of the autumn ETIAS pre-travel authorisation rollout, when an uptick in third-country arrivals is expected. Airlines operating on tight aircraft utilisation schedules—particularly low-cost carriers running Mediterranean holiday charters—are advised to build short buffer times into rotations through Prague over the next 48 hours.
Source: MetarCentral NOTAM feed
