After more than a fortnight of detours and early-morning traffic jams, the exit from the D7 motorway to Václav Havel Airport Prague from the Kladno/Slaný direction re-opened today, 25 September 2026. The slip-road had been completely closed since 9 September while the Aviatická × Lipská grade-separated junction—the main artery funnelling traffic from north-west Bohemia into the airport complex—underwent urgent structural reinforcement and resurfacing. According to the project contractor, the work was finished on schedule at 05:00 this morning, allowing airport, logistics and ride-sharing traffic to return to pre-closure patterns in time for the busiest part of the autumn conference season. For the last two weeks, all vehicles arriving from Kladno, Slaný and the industrial zone along the D7 had been forced to drive past the airport, loop back towards Prague, and then re-enter via Terminál 3. The detour added between 10 and 25 minutes to journey times, triggering missed check-ins, higher taxi fares and delivery delays for high-value air cargo destined for just-in-time manufacturing clients in central Bohemia. Businesses with frequent flyer programmes told Czech media that travel budgets rose by about 6 % during the closure because employees had to leave offices earlier, book longer parking slots or stay overnight in airport hotels. While the works generated frustration, they were the final piece of a three-year investment that also moved gas pipelines, upgraded the ILS precision-approach system on Runway 06/24 and widened service lanes used by airport fuel trucks. Airport management argues the short-term pain will pay off quickly: simulations by ŘSD (the Czech Road and Motorway Directorate) indicate the new junction will shave up to seven minutes off peak-hour journeys from the Kladno technology parks and reduce accident risk in wet conditions by 30 % thanks to improved drainage. For mobility managers and travel teams, the immediate takeaway is that drive-times from Kladno and the north-west have reverted to normal. However, Prague Airport still recommends allowing an extra 15 minutes at security and passport control because of the ongoing Entry/Exit System (EES) roll-out for third-country nationals. Companies organising group travel should update ground-transport manifests and re-issue arrival instructions to employees and VIP guests. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Transport confirmed that no further full closures are planned on the D7 corridor before the Christmas travel peak. Minor night-time lane restrictions may occur in October while final road-markings cure, but these are not expected to have a material impact on passenger or cargo flows. Travel administrators are nonetheless advised to monitor the airport’s official X (formerly Twitter) feed @PragueAirport for real-time alerts.
