The aircraft you fly on from Košice depends mainly on which route you’re taking. On the hub routes to Vienna and Warsaw, carriers use smaller regional Embraer aircraft, which have noticeably smaller overhead bins than regular Boeings or Airbuses. In practice, this means that even if your carry-on baggage meets all the size limits, an Austrian Airlines Embraer E195 bin will usually fit only one case, and only lying flat, in the direction of the aisle. As a result, some passengers end up having their case checked into the hold at boarding. On Ryanair and Wizz Air routes, however, where larger Boeing 737-800s and Airbus A320/A321s fly from Košice, you’ll hardly ever run into this problem.
Who Flies from Košice, and With What
Košice Airport is the second-largest airport in Slovakia and lies about 6 km south of the city centre. You’ll find a complete overview of current connections on the flight schedule page; in short, the following carriers fly regularly from Košice:
- Austrian Airlines to Vienna with the Embraer E195 (approximately 120 seats)
- LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw-Chopin, 6 times a week, with Embraer E170 and E175 aircraft (approximately 70 to 82 seats)
- Swiss International Air Lines to Zurich, 3 times a week – a smaller route operated by a network carrier
- Ryanair to Dublin, Liverpool, London-Stansted, Málaga, Prague and, seasonally, Zadar, with Boeing 737-800s seating 189
- Wizz Air to Bratislava (13 times a week), London-Luton (5 times a week) and Rome-Fiumicino (2 times a week), with Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft
- Smartwings seasonally on holiday routes to Burgas, Heraklion, Larnaca, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes and Zakynthos
In total, that’s approximately 12 regular direct routes, while with a single connection more than 300 destinations worldwide are accessible from Košice.
Regional Embraers on the Hub Routes: What It Means for Your Luggage
On both hub routes from Košice – to Vienna and to Warsaw – regional aircraft from the Embraer family are used. Austrian Airlines operates the Embraer E195, with a capacity of approximately 120 seats, on the Vienna route, while LOT Polish Airlines flies the smaller E170 and E175 types, with a capacity of approximately 70 to 82 seats, to Warsaw. These aircraft were designed for shorter regional routes, and their cabin is correspondingly narrower and lower than that of larger types.
This is most noticeable when it comes to carry-on baggage space. The overhead bins on the Embraer E195 are noticeably smaller than on a Boeing or Airbus, and a cabin case will practically only fit in lying flat, in the direction of the aisle. As a result, a single bin will usually hold only one case. For a passenger, this can come as a surprise worth keeping in mind: even if your baggage exactly meets the permitted dimensions, when the cabin is full the crew may take it from you at boarding and place it in the hold, simply because there’s no room left for it in the cabin. Carriers operating regional aircraft therefore routinely move some carry-on cases into the hold at boarding, even cases that would easily fit in the cabin of a larger aircraft.
Boeings and Airbuses on the Low-Cost Routes
The situation is different on low-cost carrier routes. Ryanair flies Boeing 737-800s seating 189 from Košice, a substantially larger type than the regional Embraers. Wizz Air, meanwhile, uses Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft on its routes from Košice. Both types have a larger, taller cabin and therefore more spacious overhead bins, which under normal loads usually accommodate carry-on baggage in line with the carrier’s standard rules. An overview of Ryanair’s current route offering from Košice can be found on the Ryanair page.
By comparison, from larger airports such as Bratislava, several carriers fly even bigger aircraft types. From Košice, however, even with the smaller Embraers on the hub routes, it’s possible to comfortably reach almost anywhere in the world – you just need to allow for different conditions on board.
Why the Aircraft Type Matters When Connecting
If you’re flying from Košice with a connection, the aircraft type on the first leg affects more than just onboard comfort. The smaller capacity of a regional aircraft means fewer seats on offer, and that’s precisely on the routes that are among the busiest from Košice. In 2024, for example, these included Vienna with 86,345 passengers, Warsaw with 31,234 passengers and Zurich with 27,297 passengers – exactly the destinations where carriers deploy smaller regional aircraft. By comparison, the busiest route from Košice, to Antalya (96,506 passengers in 2024), as well as the routes to London-Luton (92,392), Prague (81,725) and London-Stansted (78,091), are flown by carriers using larger aircraft. When planning a connection through a hub airport, it therefore pays to book earlier and to factor in the smaller aircraft capacity on the first leg when it comes to carry-on baggage too.
How to Find Out the Aircraft Type Before Your Flight
The aircraft type for a specific flight most often appears already in the booking confirmation or in the carrier’s mobile app. On the day of departure, we recommend checking the current flight status on the arrivals and departures page – it will also show you any changes. If you’re not sure which aircraft type the carrier typically uses on your route, the information can usually also be found directly on the airline’s own website for that flight.
What This Means for Passengers from Eastern Slovakia
For passengers from eastern Slovakia, the main takeaway is simple: the aircraft type varies depending on which route you’re flying, and on the hub connections to Vienna and Warsaw it’s worth allowing for less space in the cabin. Pack your carry-on exactly according to the carrier’s rules, but on an Embraer also be prepared for it to be moved to the hold at boarding – that’s not a mistake, just a normal consequence of the smaller cabin. On Ryanair and Wizz Air routes, by contrast, which use larger Boeings and Airbuses from Košice, there’s usually enough space in the cabin. For the winter 2026/27 season, Ryanair is preparing its most extensive winter schedule in the airport’s history from Košice – five routes and 13% more flights per week than the previous winter, with the Málaga route flying in winter for the first time, twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. A complete overview of destinations from Košice can be found on the destinations page.
Cheap flights from Košice
Direct routes from Košice Airport with current fares. Prices are indicative – the cheapest one-way fare as of 11. 10. 2026.
LondonRyanairfrom €16View offer
LiverpoolRyanairfrom €18View offerLondonWizz Air UKfrom €22View offer
BratislavaWizz Airfrom €23View offerRomeWizz Air Maltafrom €26View offer
DublinRyanairfrom €34View offerLinks lead to our partner Pelikan.sk. Booking through them supports this website.