Košice Airport Heads for a Million Passengers, Plans Expansion

Košice Airport is heading towards a historic milestone. If growth continues at the current pace, in 2026 it will exceed one million handled passengers for the first time in its history. In the first five months of the year, more than 334,000 people passed through the airport – a year-on-year increase of roughly 50 percent. Rapid growth has a flip side, though: the terminal is reaching the limit of its capacity. The airport is therefore preparing an expansion project, and an architectural competition will decide the shape of the new building. Here is what exactly is planned and what it means for travellers from eastern Slovakia.

The first million passengers in history is within reach

“If nothing unforeseen happens, this year we should exceed the one million handled passengers mark for the first time in history,” said airport spokesman Juraj Toth. The numbers back him up: while just over 540,000 people passed through the airport in 2022, last year it was almost 830,000, and this year traffic is growing by half as much again. New routes to Rome and Málaga, the restored domestic connection to Bratislava and a strong holiday season are all contributing to the growth.

The terminal is today’s main bottleneck

According to the airport, the key capacity constraint is the terminal building itself. Hourly throughput currently stands at roughly 900 passengers per hour on arrival and around 700 passengers per hour on departure. The airport has ten check-in counters, and security screening can operate on a maximum of three separate lanes at once. During busy summer departure waves, when several flights leave within a short time, passengers experience this as longer queues. You can always check the current situation before your trip on our arrivals and departures page.

An architectural competition will decide the expansion

The airport has already started the process of selecting an architect who will design how to extend the terminal building. The specific target capacity – the number of new check-in counters, security lanes or baggage drop points – will only be known after the results of the architectural competition. The goal is to strengthen capacity so that it matches the growing number of passengers, ensures smoother handling and improves passenger comfort. According to the airport’s estimates, the expansion could be completed in roughly three years. Smaller adjustments have already been made: the duty-free shop was relocated to enlarge the area around the departure gates, and some office space was freed up.

The runway needs no investment; financing remains open

The good news is that, according to the airport, the runway is in good condition and does not require extensive investment. The project can therefore focus on the terminal and its facilities. No decision has yet been made on the financing model for the expansion – the airport says this will be decided in the next phases of project preparation. Better ground transport links to the airport also remain an open question, as plans for a new road or a tram line extension are running up against the consolidation of public finances.

What has already changed: parking, buses and new services

The airport is already responding to passenger growth with smaller steps. A second free ten-minute quick drop-off and pick-up zone has been added, along with a separate entrance to the long-term P3 car park – you can find an overview of all options on our parking page. The Košice public transport company has increased the capacity of bus line 23, and new individual transport services have appeared in the terminal, including a self-service kiosk for booking a ride.

What it means for travellers from the east

The terminal expansion is a signal that Košice Airport’s growth is not a temporary spike but a long-term trend. Greater capacity opens the door to further routes and carriers – the airport’s management is, for example, also in talks about a possible return of major network carriers, although that remains a matter of the coming years. For passengers, it means a wider range of connections without having to travel to airports in Budapest or Kraków. You can find the current overview of all scheduled routes in the flight schedule and inspiration for your next trip in our list of destinations.

A million passengers was a distant dream for Košice just a few years ago. Today it is a matter of months. If you want to be part of it, check out the current promotional tickets from Košice – flying affordably from the east has never been easier.

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