Prague’s Václav Havel Airport has rolled out Aviation Assistant “AVA”, a chatbot that gives travellers instant answers to flight-related and airport-navigation questions. Accessible first via WhatsApp – with Facebook Messenger integration promised in February – the assistant offers 24-hour help in English and Czech. Users can track a specific flight and receive automatic push notifications when check-in opens, gates change, boarding begins, or baggage is delivered. They can also ask free-text questions about terminal layouts, parking, baggage rules or where to find the nearest pharmacy and lounge.
The launch is part of the airport’s wider digital-service strategy, which already includes biometric e-gates at passport control and a pre-booking system for security screening. According to communications chief Eva Krejčí, AVA replaces a legacy SMS-alert system and will soon allow live hand-off to a human service-desk agent for complex enquiries. Prague Airport handled 17.75 million passengers in 2025 and is forecasting almost 19 million in 2026; managers say scalable, automated customer support is the only way to maintain service levels as volumes grow.
![Prague Airport Unveils “AVA” Digital Assistant to Guide Passengers in Real Time]()
For international passengers, having the correct travel documents is just as important as receiving real-time gate updates. VisaHQ’s online platform for the Czech Republic (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lets travellers verify visa requirements, submit applications and track approval status from any device, ensuring a hassle-free arrival so they can focus on using AVA for smooth airport navigation.
For business-travel managers the tool removes friction from tight connection windows: employees can receive gate changes on their phones the moment they land and head straight to the next boarding point. It also reduces the need for signage in multiple languages – an operational saving at a hub where 70 percent of passengers are foreign nationals. Mobile push capability means that even during severe weather or security disruptions, passengers can be steered to alternative routes without clogging physical information desks.
The airport is testing additional features, including personalised shopping offers and airport-transfer booking via the same chat interface. If successful, AVA could become a template for other mid-size EU hubs looking to digitise without building dedicated apps. The project cost has not been disclosed, but insiders say Prague relied heavily on in-house developers and open-source natural-language-processing tools to keep expenditure well below €1 million.
The launch is part of the airport’s wider digital-service strategy, which already includes biometric e-gates at passport control and a pre-booking system for security screening. According to communications chief Eva Krejčí, AVA replaces a legacy SMS-alert system and will soon allow live hand-off to a human service-desk agent for complex enquiries. Prague Airport handled 17.75 million passengers in 2025 and is forecasting almost 19 million in 2026; managers say scalable, automated customer support is the only way to maintain service levels as volumes grow.
For international passengers, having the correct travel documents is just as important as receiving real-time gate updates. VisaHQ’s online platform for the Czech Republic (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) lets travellers verify visa requirements, submit applications and track approval status from any device, ensuring a hassle-free arrival so they can focus on using AVA for smooth airport navigation.
For business-travel managers the tool removes friction from tight connection windows: employees can receive gate changes on their phones the moment they land and head straight to the next boarding point. It also reduces the need for signage in multiple languages – an operational saving at a hub where 70 percent of passengers are foreign nationals. Mobile push capability means that even during severe weather or security disruptions, passengers can be steered to alternative routes without clogging physical information desks.
The airport is testing additional features, including personalised shopping offers and airport-transfer booking via the same chat interface. If successful, AVA could become a template for other mid-size EU hubs looking to digitise without building dedicated apps. The project cost has not been disclosed, but insiders say Prague relied heavily on in-house developers and open-source natural-language-processing tools to keep expenditure well below €1 million.
