How a signature changed the name of Prague's primary international airport
In short: In 2011, a Slovak film director launched an online petition to rename Prague Ruzyně Airport. Within just one week, over 65,000 people had signed it. This grassroots movement successfully transformed the facility into Václav Havel Airport Prague, honoring the last president of Czechoslovakia.
The transition from Prague Ruzyně to Václav Havel Airport Prague was not merely a bureaucratic update but a response to significant public sentiment. Following the petition launched by director Fero Fenič on 20 December 2011, the name change was officially implemented on 5 October 2012, coinciding with what would have been Havel's 76th birthday. Despite the name change, the airport's IATA and ICAO codes remain PRG and LKPR, respectively.
The airport's history is marked by both architectural prestige and political upheaval. Founded in 1937 to replace the insufficient Kbely Airport, the facility's central terminal—now Terminal 4—was designed by architect Adolf Benš. Its technical conception was so significant that it received a Gold Medal at the 1937 Paris World's Fair. However, the site also witnessed dramatic moments, such as the night of 20–21 August 1968, when Soviet paratroopers seized the airport to facilitate the invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Today, the airport serves as a vital hub for airlines like Smartwings, while operating as a base for Ryanair and Eurowings. Looking toward the future, major infrastructure projects are on the horizon. A new terminal expansion is slated for completion by 2033, and a 28 billion crown railway connection to the Prague city centre is expected to open around 2030. This rail project, a first for Czech railway public-private partnerships, aims to connect the airport to Masarykovo station in just 25 minutes.
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