Airport Guide

History of Bratislava Airport

While regular flights between Prague and Bratislava were introduced in the 1920s, it wasn't until 1947 that work began on what is now Slovakia's main airport and one of the busiest in all of central Europe.


The airport was finally opened in 1951, with improvements and expansion being steadily carried out over the years to cope with rising passenger numbers.

For example, Terminal A, which was built in 1971, was complemented by terminal B in 1994, with a third terminal for arrivals being completed only in 2006, while in 1993 it took on the name Bratislava M R Stefanik
in honour of the army general whose plane crashed nearby in 1919.

Most recently, 2008 saw the completion of a new building bridging the gap between the arrivals and departure terminals as well as providing a home for passenger services such as a post office and Slovak national tourism agencies.

While fierce competition from Vienna International Airport saw Bratislava International struggle to attract airlines and passengers through the 1990s, thanks largely to the availability of bargain flights, and passengers' keenness to check out relatively-unknown Slovakia, its fortunes have taken a turn for the better over recent
years.

Travelling to Bratislava Airport

Slovakia's main airport is well-connected to the national capital, with the landmark Bratislava Castle in the heart of the city centre less than six miles from the terminal buildings.

Travellers connecting between the city centre and the airport have the choice of taking the Line 61 bus route to the main city train station or the number 96 bus which heads downtown.

For those looking to travel elsewhere, there are efficient yet relatively infrequent bus services across the border to Vienna, while it is also possible to connect to a number of Slovakia's smaller cities and towns directly from the airport.

Airlines Flying from Bratislava Airport

Bratislava Airport welcomes more than two million passengers a year, with direct flights to destinations across central Europe, western Europe and further afield.

Linking the two main cities of the former state of Czechoslovakia, Czech Airlines offers regular international flights to nearby Prague.

Meanwhile, local low-cost carrier DanubeWings jets to Basel, Bologna, Catania, Kosice, Milan, Poprad, Split and Zadar, and LOT Polish offers cheap flights to Warsaw.

However, it is Irish airline Ryanair which now dominates the departures board at Bratislava, offering great flights to more than a dozen destinations, including Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, Stockholm and Trapani.

In addition, it is also possible to jet directly to the Middle East from Bratislava, with Sun D'Or flying to Tel Aviv.