Getting to Pardubice Airport

The low cost carrier Ryanair has surprisingly discovered Pardubice Airport only very recently. Yet with some exaggeration, we may soon see Pardubice become the new “Prague-Stansted”, especially thanks to its excellent transit connections from the Czech capital. Ryanair is currently the only airline operating scheduled flights from Pardubice Airport to non-Russian destinations. The Pardubice (PED) – London Stansted (STN) route quickly became so popular that the company decided to introduce direct service to Alicante starting in March 2018. As of February 2018 all flights, including holiday charters, operate from the new Jan Kašpar Terminal, located about 1 km or .6 miles from the original passenger building.

New Terminal – New Direct Bus Service

Coinciding with the opening of the new terminal, a brand new direct bus line #90 started running from Pardubice Central railway station (Pardubice hl.n.) to Jan Kašpar Terminal (the bus stop is named Letiště terminál). This service operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to match the current flight schedule. Buses depart from the train station 90, 120 and 150 minutes before Ryanair’s departures to London. In the opposite direction, the bus leaves from the terminal 30 and 60 minutes after the flight’s scheduled arrival time, meaning the bus won’t be waiting for a delayed flight.

Alternate Connections to the Airport

If you need to get to the airport at a different time of day, or on a different day of the week, you can rely on local buses that stop at the old airport building. The bus stop is named Letiště (“Airport”) and is located about 15-minutes’ walk from the new terminal entrance. Four bus lines (8, 88, 23, 24) currently serve this stop from the railway station. Journey times vary from 7 to 15 minutes, according to the exact route.

Public transport schedules for these lines tend to be somewhat erratic, though daytime services to the airport run reliably every 10-20 minutes from the main transit hub in front of the railway station. Check the departure board to find out the exact bus stand.

At nighttime, bus line #98 takes 16 minutes to get you from the station to the airport and operates three times a night.

Buy Tickets Beforehand, Beware Night Surcharges

If possible, get your bus ticket from a ticket machine or a vendor, such as newsstands at the train station or throughout downtown. A standard ticket will cost you 16 CZK (€0.70). Don’t forget to validate your ticket on board by inserting it into a stamping machine as you enter.

If you’re buying a ticket from the bus driver, or if you’re riding on a night service, you will pay 25 CZK (€1). While exact change is not required, only CZK cash is accepted on board, and large banknotes may not be readily accepted.

Onward to Other Czech Cities

Pardubice is very easily accessible by train, as the city is situated on a trunk rail line from Prague to Ostrava and Prague to Brno. A train journey from Prague takes about an hour and will usually cost around 100 CZK / €4. Four different carriers (Czech Railways, RegioJet, LEO Express and Arriva) operate trains on the route, with varying frequencies, up to four trains per hour in peak times. There is at least one train per hour all-day, including weekends and holidays.

The first morning train from Prague arrives to Pardubice at 5.45, the last train of the day arrives well after midnight (0.46). The latest departure from to Prague is at 22.18 (10.18p).

The city’s location also makes it easy to reach other regional centers, such as Olomouc, Ostrava, Liberec and the Moravian region non-stop, and the station is served by all night trains to Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw, Bratislava, Košice and other destinations.