Prague Airport will add passport desks and self-service gates as part of a CZK 290 million Terminal 1 border control expansion.
Prague Airport (PRG), working with the Police of the Czech Republic, will expand and modernise the arrivals border control area in Terminal 1 to increase capacity and reduce passenger waiting times.
Work is scheduled to begin in the first half of September 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2027. The project represents an investment of approximately CZK 290 million, covering construction, engineering and design services, technical supervision and occupational health and safety coordination.
Five new passport control desks and four EasyGoGate (EGG) self-service gates will be installed. The Police of the Czech Republic is responsible for supplying and installing the new equipment.
The project will also expand the passenger waiting area before border control and modernise the ventilation system throughout the passport control area.
Martin Kučera, a member of Prague Airport’s Board of Directors, said the expansion responds to increasing capacity pressure, particularly following the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System (EES).
“By expanding border control, we are responding to the growing pressure on capacity, which has become even more evident since the European Entry/Exit System was introduced in October last year. Our goal is to speed up border control while providing a more comfortable experience for passengers as they wait.”
Prague Airport and the Police of the Czech Republic have coordinated the project from its initial stages, with security requirements incorporated into the planned changes.
Col. Tomáš Jelínek, Head of the Foreign Police Inspectorate at Václav Havel Airport Prague, said the work would strengthen border security.
“The upgrades and alterations to the border control area at Terminal 1 will help further strengthen the security of the Schengen Area’s external border.”
Renovation planned around airport operations
The construction will be carried out in stages to minimise disruption and maintain border control capacity. Temporary passport control restrictions and queues may occur during the renovation.
EU citizens can proceed directly to passport control desks and EGG self-service gates for European passport holders because they are exempt from EES registration.
During one stage, three passport control desks will be temporarily closed. This work will be scheduled during a period of lower passenger traffic and a smaller proportion of passengers from outside the Schengen Area.
The airport’s “Red Team” will continue coordinating passenger flows before border control and responding to changing operational conditions throughout the project.
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