České Budějovice Airport (ICAO: LKCS, IATA: JCL) is a domestic and

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

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. 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

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 The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. 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

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 The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

. 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 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

and

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

permitted to land. Construction of the new terminal started in December 2017, full operation was planned for the end of 2020. České Budějovice finally received its first commercial service on the second of August 2023, being a charter flight to the Turkish city of

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, operated by Smartwings for Cedok tour operator. In the days afterwards, flights to Greek islands

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

and

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

were inaugurated, too. As operations succeeded, summer season 2024 will see an expanded offer including two new charter destinations, tunesian city Enfidha and

Burgas Burgas (, ), sometimes transliterated as Bourgas, is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fourth-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, an ...

in Bulgaria.

Airlines and destinations

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

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ceske Budejovice Airport Airports in the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in České Budějovice Buildings and structures in the South Bohemian Region 1937 establishments in Czechoslovakia Airports established in 1937 20th-century architecture in the Czech Republic