ABOUT THE AIRPORT

Thanks to its location, the Poprad -Tatry international airport represents the entry gate to the High Tatras and Low Tatras regions that offer the visitors a wide range of services and opportunities in winter sports centres or summer tourist resorts.

The airport is open all year long seven days a week and is used for:
• regular flights
• irregular flights
• charter flights for tourists and sportsmen
• private and business flights
• training flights
• Helicopter Emergency Medical Service
• Aeroklub Poprad
• TLS Air – sight-seeing flights


Major milestones in the history of the company

1938 – Construction of a field airport
A field airport was constructed westwards from Veľká (part of Poprad today) as part of defence measures before World War II.

1943 – Introduction of regular civil air traffic
Regular civil air traffic was launched with the Bratislava-Sliač-Poprad-Prešov air route.

1970 – Concrete runway and a new administrative building
There used to be a grass take-off and landing runway at the Poprad airport. On the occasion of the World Championship in classic skiing at Štrbské Pleso, a new concrete runway and an administrative building were put into operation.

1976 – The most successful year of the airport
During the times of the former Czechoslovakia, the airport was one of the three international airports in the country. During that period, aircrafts of the ČSA and Interflug airlines departed from Poprad regularly. Besides regular flights, there were frequent charter flights operated by carriers from all over Europe (Dan-Air, Condor, Malev, Britannia and others).

2005 – Set-up of a joint stock company
The year 2005 was the first year of existence of the joint stock company and can be considered to be successful. The airport management handled difficult tasks accompanying the transformation of the contributory organisation to a joint stock company. The year 2005 was also the first year of carrying out checks of passengers and transported items. This duty was taken over from the Police Force on 01 January 2005.

2006 – Restoration of regular air traffic
The development of the operation was influenced mainly by the restoration of all-year-long regular air traffic and by an increased number of passengers in charter flights and general flights. The regular line operated by SkyEurope Airlines (on Poprad – London route), launched at the end of 2005, was for the first time operated during all 12 months of the year. The seat capacity on this route was usually used up to maximum. Besides passengers from eastern and northern Slovakia who travelled to the United Kingdom for work, this route was increasingly used by foreign tourists travelling to Poprad and the Low Tatras or to the Slovak or the Polish side of the High Tatras.

2007 – Schengen and security measures
Special attention was paid to security issues. The Poprad-Tatry Airport is classified as Schengen International Airport and must meet the criteria established in Slovakia´s Schengen Action Plan. The terminal interior was therefore rebuilt, new detection check points were created, and the fencing around the airport area was reconstructed.
All important airport premises and buildings are monitored by means of a new camera system.
The lighting of the handling areas was also reconstructed.

2008 – Investments and the Royal visit
The airport implemented two major projects. The project “Reconstruction of the approach lighting system of runway 17“ was implemented to meet the requirements of L14 regulation and helped maintaining the airport´s operation during night hours and under reduced visibility conditions. Thanks to the new Arrival Terminal, the airport increased the capacity of passenger handling, since the original terminal was insufficient and met the Schengen requirements with reservations. In 2008, the airport was honoured by the visit of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip.

2013–2014 – New Departure Terminal
A new Departure Hall was put into operation in January 2014, which helped solving the problem of immediate capacity of departing passengers and increased the speed and comfort of the check-in procedure. Together with the hall, the first and then the second part of the car park were built. One of the most important events of 2014 was the restoration of regular air traffic between Poprad and London, operated by WIZZ AIR low-cost airline.