In June, construction of the airport terminal will begin in Pardubice

Pardubice - In June, the construction of the airport terminal will begin in Pardubice. It is expected to be completed by October next year. The airport is struggling with a decrease in clientele and considers the new facilities necessary in order to offer quality services to airlines. This was stated to reporters by the director of East Bohemian Airport (EBA), Hana Šmejkalová.

"Without a new terminal, we could cancel both regular and charter services," Šmejkalová said.

The new terminal, along with the access road, will cost 256 million crowns. According to Strabag's proxy, Petr Kafka, the price corresponds to other newly built terminals. The company has previously built halls in Poprad and Bratislava, Kafka added.

The hall will ultimately be cheaper. It was supposed to be constructed last year, but the companies offered a price of 400 million crowns, which seemed expensive to the management and shareholders. The revised project is without a parking lot and without the equipment on the second floor, where offices were supposed to be. The air conditioning will not be placed in the upper floor, but on the roof, and the transformer station will not be part of the building but will be constructed outdoors, which reduces the cost of construction, said Deputy Mayor Helena Dvořáčková (ANO).

"We will have a main hall and two side buildings with separate check-ins for Schengen and non-Schengen travelers. There will be standard services like a restaurant, shops, and possibly a currency exchange," Šmejkalová stated.

Last year, the airport lost two regular routes to Moscow and St. Petersburg, with Russian clientele generating the majority of revenue. According to Pavel Svoboda, chairman of the EBA board, it was a mistake for previous management and shareholders to focus solely on Russia.

"We are trying to correct that mistake; we have a completely new management, and a massive reorganization of the company was carried out, even though it hurt," Svoboda said.

According to Šmejkalová, it is unrealistic for the number of passengers to return to the values of 2013 and 2014, when the airport processed approximately 184,000 and 155,000 people, respectively. Last year, about 58,000 passengers passed through the terminal. If the airport manages to negotiate regular routes and strengthen charter services, it could have between 80,000 and 90,000 passengers next year.

The EBA company will have to incur debt with the bank for the construction while also providing guarantees. The region holds one-third of the shares and will lend the company from its budget. Pardubice, which owns two-thirds of the shares, will guarantee the company with a promissory note. If EBA cannot repay its debts, the obligations will transfer to the city.

"As a safety brake, we are prepared, but we believe that the new terminal will boost the entire economic situation and that EBA will be able to meet its obligations on its own," said Deputy Mayor Jan Řehounek (ANO) to ČTK.