Since 13th March 2020, as a result of measures taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, all flights with a destination of arrival in the Slovak republic were banned. At Košice Airport all departures and arrivals of Czech Airlines to Prague, Austrian Airlines to Vienna, LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw, Eurowings to Düsseldorf and Wizz Air to London Luton were cancelled. All together the airport lost more than 1015 flights (75 a week) and around 100 000 passengers. No repatriation or cargo flights were performed to/from Košice Airport during this period of time. 

In the course of June and July, several European airlines are restarting their regular routes. The fact that respective countries are gradually lifting the travel measures is certainly helping. At the same time, new hygienic measures are being implemented both at the airports or on board of the aircraft. 

Following the measures issued by the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak republic and recommendations of EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) and ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), also Košice Airport was getting ready for a set of new safety and hygienic measures. The goal is to create safe environment for both arriving and departing passengers and also for the employees of the airport. 

The set of measures include: 

• Only passengers with a valid flight ticket and a facemask covering the mouth and nose will be allowed to enter the terminal. All passengers will be asked to wear the facemasks at all times both at the airport and during the flight;
• Temperature of both arriving and departing passengers at Košice Airport will be monitored by the thermal cameras;
• All employees of Košice Airport with direct contact with the passengers will be wearing protection equipment (facemasks, gloves, shields), plus there will be plexi-glass installed at check-in desks for example;
• Two meter marking – all relevant areas where passengers are standing in a queue will be marked accordingly to ensure social distancing wherever possible;
• Hand sanitisers will be available for passengers at the entry to the terminal and also at several areas within the terminal. Disinfection of touching points, toilets and other areas of Košice Airport will be performed regularly.

Michael Tmej, the CEO and chairman of the management board of Košice Airport said: “Thanks to supporting actions taken by the state we are going through this enormously challenging period and we were not forced to cut any jobs. We used the fact that the airport has been closed for various repairs, maintenance and disinfection works, so the passengers will feel not just comfortably but also safe at our airport. We are glad that conditions for air travel are getting better and we are looking forward to welcoming the passengers at Košice Airport. We believe that flying will return to our daily lives and we are doing the utmost so our passengers feel safe and they can enjoy a nice time before their flights, either for work or for holiday reasons.”

Following a decision of Slovak government from the 9th June 2020, citizens of the Slovak republic can now travel without restrictions to Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Island. 

Taking into consideration lifting some of the measures and gradual opening of the borders of Slovakia, Košice Airport is also partly getting opened for international flights and it is expecting the return of the airlines. 

The first carrier to restart the flights will be Czech Airlines, as they will fly again between Košice and Prague. The first flight is scheduled for the 15th June. Initially, there will be 3 weekly flights operated (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) with arrival time at 13:45 and departure from Košice at 14:30. Flights will be operated with ATR-72 aircraft with 64 seats. The weekly frequencies will be gradually increased and the return to original schedule with 13 weekly flights is expected as of the 1st September 2020. 

Another airline to return to Košice is Austrian Airlines with their route to Vienna. The first flight is scheduled for 22nd June and the initial frequency is set for 4 weekly flights. Flights from Košice to Vienna will depart on Monday afternoon, on Thursday morning and afternoon and on Saturday morning. From Vienna the planes will depart on Monday afternoon, on Wednesday evening, Thursday afternoon and on Friday evening. The return to original schedule with 13 weekly flights is expected in autumn 2020. 

Restart of the flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air is subject to a decision by the Slovak government. 

The rules for wearing the facemasks at all times onboard are valid for all airlines. Košice Airport recommends to check detailed rules and recommendations of a particular airline before the flight on the airline´s website and also on the website of Košice Airport.