Adapting of the existing terminal of the airport in Karlovy Vary was completed on 31 March 2008. Its completion was an essential condition to fulfil the Schengen conventions in order to enable separate check-in of passengers from the countries of the Schengen area. This area involves the territory of the states, on common borders of which no border controls are performed. The inspection concentrates on so-called external Schengen borders and is accompanied by security services cooperation. In the case of Karlovy Vary airport, the matter of principle was to ensure sufficient comfort for parallel check-in of both Schengen and non-Schengen passengers. Ensuring passengers\' comfort within the frame of relatively complicated modernization during uninterrupted airport operation covered an extensive layout and technical conception of the whole building, including new sanitary facilities for passengers. Within this construction even a new public hall addition was realized which, after realization of the 2. part of the construction (i.e. completion of the new air terminal) will function as an insertion block with further extension of facilities for passengers check-in. This 2. part of the construction has been already realized since 20 February 2008 and for its co-financing the application for financial grant from the European Regional Development Fund was presented within the frame of the 1. call for presenting applications to the Regional Operational Program of Cohesion North-West. Within the frame of the new addition even new facilities for luggage, including a new carousel (a conveyer for delivery of luggage in an arrival hall) was built.
The construction was financed from Karlovy Vary Regional Authorities\' funds and, furthermore, EUR 692,130 (approximately 34 %) was granted to Karlovy Vary region from the EEA/Norwegian Financial Mechanisms. These new funds were established in 2004 and they have aimed at providing financial support to ten new EU member states. The main objective of the Norwegian Financial Mechanisms is to decrease the social and economic disparities in the European Economic Area.
The construction contractor is Sdružení Letiště Karlovy Vary - III. etapa, the association Stavby silnic a železnic, a.s. Praha and Průmstav Praha, a.s. Construction was opened on 23 May 2007. The deadline of completion of the 1. part - reconstruction of the existing airport terminal and addition of the insertion block - was set for 31 March 2008. Total costs of realization of the 1. part of stage III of modernization reached approximately CZK 56 million.
In the course of realization of the 1. part of the construction, adapting of original technical and layout conception of the construction was performed in order to raise the capacity of the area for departing checked-in passengers and to improve a comfort level of passengers. This change in layout of the check-in area resulted in significant enlargement compared to the original project and thus in elimination of needs for possible construction works on the check-in area in the nearest future with respect to a recent spurt growth of number of checked-in passengers. Within the frame of the adapting, replacing floor surfaces was approved, too, of face concrete and pavement originally designed for granite pavement.
Regarding the fact that realization of the construction took place during full operation of the airport, realization itself was very intensive for stuff of the airport operator as well as deliverers of construction works with respect to necessity of the works coordination in terms of the airport operational needs. This construction process was envisaged already at a designing stage and for this reason the works sequence was designed in three phases as early as within the frame of the project documentation. Construction works always took place in a part of the area and the remaining part of the air terminal was used by passengers. In consequence, after completion of an appropriate phase the areas were changed.