In 2024, Košice Airport celebrated its centennial anniversary of the first commercial flight to Košice, which was operated by the then Czechoslovak Airlines on May 5, 1924, from Prague. Fittingly, in this landmark 100th year, Košice Airport achieved the best results in its history. A total of 739,010 passengers passed through its gates—a growth of 18% compared to 2023 and a remarkable 32% increase compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019.

More than 474,000 passengers utilized scheduled flights to one (or more) of the nine destinations served: Dublin, Liverpool, London Luton, London Stansted, Prague, Warsaw, Vienna, Zadar, and Zurich. The busiest destinations for scheduled flights were London Luton, Vienna, and Prague.

An additional 261,000 passengers flew to or from Košice on charter flights. During the record-breaking holiday season, the most popular destinations were Antalya, Larnaca, and Hurghada. Passenger numbers on charter flights increased by 32% year-on-year.

Thomas Dworschak, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Košice Airport, said: “Just in 2023, we exceeded 600,000 handled passengers for the first time, and last year, we surpassed the 700,000 threshold significantly. We are delighted that the number of passengers choosing us as their airport of first choice continues to grow—up by over 114,000 year-on-year. We extend our gratitude to our airline partners and travel agencies for making their offerings so attractive in 2024 that they drew a record number of passengers to our airport. I am also extremely proud of the airport team for managing this record-breaking yet very demanding year with excellence.”

Tomáš Jančuš, Board Member and Deputy CEO for Finance, added: “We are also thrilled by the strong start of new flight connections introduced last year. This is evidenced by increased capacity this year: SWISS will increase flights to Zurich from three to four weekly starting in April, and Ryanair will commence flights to the popular Croatian destination Zadar earlier in the season. In April, flights to Zadar will operate twice weekly, and from May to September, even three times weekly.”

Jančuš continued: “With these results and numerous successful events, including the return of the unique Runway Run in collaboration with Radio Košice, we have honored a century of aviation in Košice in a truly dignified manner. To continue progressing, it is crucial to respond to growing operational volumes with investments in airport infrastructure. In 2025, we will be very active in this regard.”

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, Igor Choma, said:
“We are very pleased with this record year at Košice Airport, as it confirms its growing importance as a key transportation hub for eastern Slovakia. The number of passengers and scheduled routes has increased significantly, which is the result of successful collaboration with airline partners and continuous improvement of services provided. This success motivates us to continue supporting the development of air transport in the region.”

Košice Airport Achieves Record Results in Its Centennial Year