Pilots operating to and from Prague’s Letňany (LKLT) airfield were forced to adjust flight plans after a NOTAM issued at 07:58 UTC on 12 November 2026 closed runway 05L/23R due to a soaked surface. The closure, published as NOTAM B3689/26, remains in force until 08:59 UTC on 13 November, grounding most visual-flight-rules (VFR) movements at the popular general-aviation strip in the Czech capital’s north-eastern suburbs. Letňany handles flight-training, aero-club traffic and point-to-point business charters that prefer its proximity to Prague’s outer ring road over the slot-controlled Václav Havel Airport. With the grass runway waterlogged after two days of persistent rain, operators were urged to divert to nearby Kbely military airbase (with prior permission) or to Vodochody (LKVO), 12 kilometres downstream on the Vltava River. While the disruption has limited impact on commercial airline schedules, it affects corporate pilots positioning aircraft for maintenance at the on-field facilities and helicopter operators providing ad-hoc transfers for executives attending meetings in Prague’s industrial zones. The incident also highlights the vulnerability of grass strips to extreme weather events, which the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says are becoming more frequent; Letňany underwent similar closures in February and June this year. Flight schools have rescheduled check-rides and advised international students to monitor the NOTAM feed, whereas logistics teams arranging last-mile crew transport should verify pick-up points, as access roads within the aerodrome perimeter are restricted during closures. The airfield’s operator has announced a post-closure inspection to assess whether additional drainage upgrades planned for 2027 need to be accelerated.
Source: NOTAC (NOTAM database)
