Karlovy Vary Airport Modernisation - Stage III - Commencement of Construction - Karlovy Vary Region Office Press Release

28.05.2007

Ceremonial opening of construction to be held straight at the Karlovy Vary Airport on 24-5-2007 will commence the works of the first part of Stage III of the Karlovy Vary Airport modernisation. The first part of the stage consists in treatment of the existing departure hall to make it complying with the Schengen agreement discharge. In section two, a new modern departure hall will be constructed. It is supposed to be connected to the existing building with an extension - a link. The new futuristic complex of halls will evoke an image of the metal fuselage without the wings. 

As the Czech Republic committed itself to agree to the Schengen agreement, the airport will have to modify the existing departure hall by the end of the current year so that it will be possible to check out the passengers from the Schengen area countries. The area includes countries, on the common borders of which the border checks are not performed. The checks will focus on so called outer Schengen borders and they are supported by cooperation of security units. At present, all the countries of the EU fifteen have been participating in the Schengen cooperation except for the United Kingdom and Ireland, which participate in some aspects of the agreement only. On the Karlovy Vary Airport, the principal concern is provision of adequate comforts to clear the Schengen and non-Schengen passengers from two aircrafts of capacity of 180 passengers simultaneously. Otherwise, the airport would not be awarded the status of an international airport at the outer border. 

The costs of the project will be approximately 50 million korunas in the first part, of which some 20 million was provided to the Region of Karlovy Vary from the Norwegian funding mechanisms. These funds were started in 2004 and the objective of them is to provide financial assistance to ten new EU members by 2009. The Norwegian financial mechanisms will fund the projects not covered by any category of the regional assistance from the Brussels. The principal aim of Norway is to decrease social and economical inequalities within the economic area of Europe. Part two of Stage three of the airport modernisation, i.e. construction of the new hall will cost 92.5 million korunas and subsidies from the EU funds are expected to fund it. 

The project contractor will be the Association of the Karlovy Vary Airport - Stage III, members of the Association of Stavby silnic a železnic, a.s. and Průmstav Praha, a.s. The reconstruction of the existing departure hall should be completed by the end of 2007 at the latest. The estimated date of the new hall completion is subject to allotment of the funds from the EU for the planning period of 2007 - 2013. 

The stage three of the Karlovy Vary modernisation will follow up the two preceding stages including the redevelopment of the runway and also a full reconstruction of the signal security system. The stage will round off joint efforts of the Karlovy Vary Region and the airport to serve the passengers according to international agreements with a maximum comfort and in adequate space conditions.