Geografie 1965, 70, 344-360
Geographical Conditions of the Airport Praha-Ruzyně
There are few studies in geographical literature that deal with air transport. One af the interesting problems is the question of suitability of airport localization. Not only economic and technical conditions but even many geographical factors play an important role in chosing the location of the airport. The most important geographical factors are the character of the surface, the climatic conditions and the position of the airport in relation to the city. The airport Praha-Ruzyně is located on the northwestern boundary of Prague on the denudated plain lying approximately 200 m above the level of the river Vltava around which the nucleus of Prague is concentrated. This plain is extensive enough to allow the building of an airport of large extension, and also enough flat to be suitable for building an airport. The climatic conditions of the airport are suitable for modern air transport. Worse visibility causes only 40 % of the runways to be unsuitable for use, mostly in winter when there is lower traffic. The airport is located in a distance of about 12 km from centre of the city. The transport of passengers, employees and visitors to the airport is done by buses, and this is supposed to continue even in the future. The noise from the airport disturbs several near-by villages and some neighbouring suburbs of Prague. The direction of the main runways is chosen in such way that all starting and landing planes miss the most populated districts of Prague, and even the noise in the part of Prague which lies near the airport is lower than that made by the transport means of the city. Out of the analysis of the position of the airport follows that the airport is well situated near from the town on the plain suitable for the traffic conditions of an airport of large importance, and it makes possible a future growth of the area and the traffic of the airport up to the capacity of 8 milions passengers per year. The airport Praha-Ruzyně has a great importance in inland transport with regard to the extended shape of Czechoslovakia and the excentric position of her capital. In international traffic Prague is the only important airport in Czechoslovakia. From the geographic point of view Prague has a very good position nearly in the geographical centre of Europe on the boundary between the West and the East. It has the advantage to be a crossing of the lines from western to eastern Europe and lies also on the air routes connecting northern and southern Europe. Prague has also a very good position with regard to the lines connecting western and northern Europe with southern and south-eastern Asia. The importance of Prague for these lines would be even greater if the air companies which operate to those countries used the shorter northern way via the territory of the Soviet Union, and not only traditional routes by the way of Arabian countries. There are only two towns in Central Europe, Berlin and Vienna, which could compete with Prague in the function of the main crossing of the airlines. While Berlin is quite out of question due to the political situation, the competition of Vienna, which has a small inland traffic, is very strong in international transport. The importance of the airport of Prague will be growing after being finished the works on rebuilding the airport. What the turnover of goods is concerned, the airport Praha-Ruzyně occupies now the eighth place among European airports of the member countries of ICAO, and holds 21st place in passenger transport (1963). Prague has good air connections with all main centres of air transport in Europe. According to the quality of air connections, Prague occupies 13th place among them before Berlin, Madrid, Geneva and other towns.
