Prague is to be transformed into a crossroads between Qatar and the USA. Minister Kupka and the airport are lobbying for the connection
“We are interested in restoring as many lines as possible at Prague Airport. In particular, we are looking at more direct and better connections overseas. There is an opportunity for Prague to serve as a transit hub for Qatar Airways,” Minister Kupka told the E15 newspaper. Qatar Airways has been flying daily between Doha and Prague for more than five years, currently with smaller capacity aircraft than before the outbreak of the pandemic. In the ideal case, Prague would thus gain a connection with some of the airports in New York, Philadelphia or Chicago.
“In practice, this model could work so that a plane would arrive from Doha to Prague twice a day, for example a Boeing 787 or 777, which could then continue to North America,” says Jiří Pos, chairman of the board of Prague Airport. According to him, the Qataris are considering this option also because there is currently no major competition on this market – that is, the connection between Prague and North America.
“Also, Qatar Airways is in an alliance with American Airlines, so they could benefit from mutual synergies,” adds Pos. Dubai’s connections with destinations in North America, to which Emirates flies via Milan, Italy, operate similarly, even in competition with other connections.
Political representatives of the Czech Republic and Qatar first started discussing the possible establishment of air connections on the Qatar-Czechia-USA route in June this year. At the time, Kupka was a member of a government mission that flew to the emirate to negotiate possible supplies of natural gas. Negotiations on the topic of air connections continued during the recent visit of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Saní in Prague, who was also welcomed by President Miloš Zeman in October.
At that time, Kupka represented the Czech side together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela (for STAN) and the Minister of Finance Zbyňek Stanjura (ODS). was an agreement on economic, commercial and technical cooperation and a memorandum aimed at concluding a bilateral investment agreement. In addition to the supply of natural gas, of which Qatar has the third largest reserves in the world, it is also about Qatari investments and Qatar’s desire to abolish visas with the countries of the European Union.
“We have agreed that immediately after the end of the World Cup (which is currently being held in Qatar and will end after December 18 – editor’s note) we will return to the topic (of air connections) with my Qatari counterpart and the head of Qatar Airways. A possible start of connections in the summer of next year would probably be too likely, the summer season is usually already booked at this time. But I would be happy if the Prague hub could be established for 2024,” said Kupka.
The airport continues to negotiate with American companies about the establishment or renewal of direct seasonal routes from Prague to the United States and Canada. I have to reconfirm American Airlines and others. That flights between Prague and North America do not necessarily represent a financial gamble, but also such a business as the success of Delta Air Lines. According to Pose, its planes on the renewed line from Prague to New York this year were on average 97 percent occupied.
But negotiations are complicated by a shortage faced by overseas carriers. The gradual renewal of the fleet, for example from Boeing 767 to 787, is hampered by delayed deliveries of new machines.
“For these pan-European in-demand companies, they want additional support from the airport and the state. We are talking about how it would be possible to ensure, for example, marketing support for flights through the state agency CzechTourism,” added Kupka.
At the weekend, the airport crossed the threshold of ten million checked-in passengers, and for the whole year it is expected to “pass” to 10.7 million people. That is, two million more than they had planned for Ruzyna. Even last year, the number of checked-in passengers shrank to 4.4 million as a result of the pandemic restrictions. Thanks to the successful restart, the airport should return to profit this year, according to Pose, the operating profit should be around two billion crowns compared to last year’s 180 million. The main investment priority for the following period will be the expansion of terminal capacities.