The head of Prague’s Ruzyně Airport, Václav Řehoř, will terminate his contract for the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors as a result of June, but his continued existence is uncertain. The state will announce a tender for a position in the management of Prague Airport, Zdeněk Vojtěch from the Ministry of Finance told ČTK today. Řehoř has been the head of the airport since 2014. After the selection procedure, the head of the board of directors could also change. According to the server Message List the ministry no longer counts on Řehoř at the head of the company.

“In connection with the dynamic development in air transport and new acquaintances, we consider it appropriate to declare a selection procedure for a member of the Board of Directors of Prague Airport, within which we will assess visions and ideas about the future direction of this strategic state participation. This procedure is in full compliance with the Nomination Act, “Said Vojtech. According to him, the ministry appreciates Řehoř’s seven-year work at the head of the company.

Řehoř’s contract ends on June 27 this year. Less than a month before the end, the state has not yet announced any selection procedure for his post. According to sources in the daily Zdopravy.cz, there has been speculation in the field for several months about the possible arrival of former Minister of Transport Dan Ťok for this contribution.

Řehoř has been in charge of Prague Airport since 2014. In 2018, he nevertheless extended his term of office on the Board of Directors to five years. However, the contract for the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors was only three years old. For a complete end in the leadership, the ministry would have to dismiss him. Therefore, in March this year, Řehoř asked the Ministry of Finance, which is its shareholder in the airport, for a two-year extension of the contract, but according to the SeznamZprávy server, Alena Schillerová (for YES) did not comply with the ministry. According to the server, the contract must have been extended to the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Jiří Kraus, who was in the same situation.

According to the SeznamZprávy server, however, trade unions do not like a possible change. “Unfortunately, I have heard about the exchange and I consider it a nonsensical and unnecessary step.” Josef Středula, chairman of the Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions, told the server. Warning that personnel change may occur at a time when the situation in air transport, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, is reached. According to Wednesday, the stability of the company is currently necessary for the gradual recovery of operations.

Air traffic has had to reduce the coronavirus crisis for more than a year. Last year, after years of record passenger numbers, Prague Airport lost 79 percent of its passengers compared to 2019. In total, it handled 3.66 million, which means that in the last 25 years. Last year, Řehoř repeatedly stated that the company lost about one hundred million crowns a month. Now traffic is slowly strengthening, in April the airport handled almost 102,000 passengers, which was about 15 percent more month on month.

Václav Řehoř was recently a guest of the podcast Cesty Zdopravy.cz, you can listen to him here.

ČTK + Zdopravy.cz

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