Aviation Museum Prague-Kbely: A journey through Czechoslovak flight history
A complete guide to visiting the Aviation Museum in Prague-Kbely, including what to see, practical information, opening times and local tips.
I know that this museum won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and that the location is perhaps a little far from centre of Prague, but if you are into planes, helicopters or general flying history, you are in for a treat!
Not only is this museum is completely free to enter, but it’s also absolutely huge! The museum, which is the largest aviation museums in Europe, is partly indoors with displays in several aircraft hangars and party outdoors with displays of helicopters and airplanes.
The Kbely Aviation Museum was founded in 1968 in the historic military airport Prague – Kbely, which was the first airbase built after the foundation of Czechoslovakia as a new republic in 1918. The official Czech Republic airlines were founded in 1923 and used Kbely until 1937 when the new airport at Ruzyne was built.
My favourite reasons for visiting the Aviation Museum in Kbely
I have a soft spot for this museum, as my grandfather used to work at the Ruzyne Airport (now Vaclav Havel Airport) and as a child I remember visiting the main glass aircraft control tower and watching the planes from there. My grandfather was also a keen radio amateur and his code was OK – 1RE, which was a nod to how original Czech planes were labelled.
There is also another poignant reason for visiting the Kbely Airport. In 2024 the last Czech airlines airplanes have flown, so after 101 years Czech Republic doesn’t have it’s own airline. But, it’s good to know that the Kbely and Letnany airports are still being used for light aircraft, piloting lessons and also for private airplane landings.
Another wonderful piece of history connection are the original Kbely airport buildings, which were designed by Josef Gocar in 1920s. In the 1970s they were moved and you can now see them in the Prague ZOO!
How long to allocate for your visit
When I visited towards the end of September, I spent nearly a whole day there as there is so much to see and the displays are fairly comprehensive. There is also quite a lot of walking involved, as you can imagine that the airplanes take up quite a lot of space, so it’s a large area to cover on foot.
The museum has two main areas, which are about 500 metres away from each other. The bigger area – the original Kbely airport is directly at the bus stop, so I’d suggest to start there. The Letnany airport is the one further away, but it does have a couple of large indoor display areas and it’s also where you can see the original buildings where ‘Aero’ airplanes were made.
All the exhibits have detailed Czech information, but are also translated into English. I found that the newer displays at the Letnany Airport were better done in presenting the exhibits and including well translated descriptions in English.
What to see inside the museum
The museum’s exhibition is all about the history of Czechoslovak and Czech aviation, including military aviation. The museum collection includes 275 aircrafts, of which 85 are displayed in four covered halls, 25 in uncovered exhibition spaces, 155 are stored in depositories, and 10 are operational and regularly flown.
You can also see other exhibits, including aircraft engines, airframe components, equipment, uniforms, banners and other memorabilia related to the history of Czechoslovak and Czech aviation.
In the Wagner-type hangar, you will find an extensive exhibition from the World War II period, including aircrafts and local history displays.
Kbely Airport – Hangar 43
The newly renovated Hangar 43, was opened in 2018 and it’s dedicated to aircraft used for pilot training. On display is the Polish aircraft PZL TS-11 Iskra, next to which stands the Czechoslovak aircraft Aero L-29; the “DelfÃn” was used for training by all Warsaw Pact countries except Poland, which preferred its own aircraft.
You can also see a training version of the MiG-15 (UTI), and the collection is completed by the legendary Aero L-39 Albatros. Other interesting exhibits include the French training aircraft Fouga CM.170 Magister from the mid-1950s. This aircraft became one of the most widespread for pilot training not only in NATO countries.
Historic Aero Hangars at Letnany Airport
These historic hangars have been made into a display areas in 2016 and focus mainly on the factories and companies Aero, Letov, and Avia. I found it fascinating to learn more about the history of aircraft production in the former Czechoslovakia during World War II. The exhibition commemorates the resistance fighters who attempted to sabotage aircraft production and features many unique exhibits that were previously stored in depositories.
The Soyuz 28 spaceship capsule
This was a complete surprise to me and one that was totally unexpected! As I was walking around I found that one of the exhibits is the capsule from Soyuz 28. This was a spaceship on which the first non-Russian or non-American cosmonaut went to space in 1978- the Czech cosmonaut Vladimir Remek. The capsule is all that remains from the space ship after it’s successful mission and landing. To me, the capsule looked very small considering that two man had to occupy it on it’s way back to earth.
Facilities
Facilities are quite sparse at the museum and there are also no shops, cafes or restaurants in walking distance of the museum. Saying that there is a little outdoor cafe within the main museum area at Kbely, which has a limited offerings of snacks and drinks.
It’s definitely worth bringing your own sandwiches and snacks, as the museum areas are quite extensive and there are no refreshment facilities at the Letnany part of the museum.
There is a small, but well stocked shop with everything related to airplanes, history and flying at the main Kbely airport museum area.
Also if you are visiting in early spring or later in the autumn, I’d strongly suggest you take extra layers with you and wear comfortable walking shoes. Although most of the exhibition is ‘indoors’, these are very large hangars, which are not heated (at least they didn’t felt like that to me) and after walking slowly around most of the day looking around it can get quite cold.
Important information
- Location: Mladoboleslavská 425/9, Kbely, Prague 9
- Opening Hours: May to September – Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 am – 6 pm, October – Saturdays & Sundays only 10 am – 6 pm
- Tickets: free to enter
How to get to Kbely Museum from the centre of Prague
The museum is about 45 minutes by public transport from the centre of Prague. From Muzeum Underground station (top of the Wenceslas Square) take the C line to Letnany (9 stops) (or change where necessary to get to Letnany on C line from where you are) and then take the 185, 209 or 302 bus to Letecke Muzeum stop. The bus stops directly in front of the museum main entrance.
You will need just a basic Prague public transport ticket as Kbely is still within the Prague area.
This blog post was originally written on 5 April 2025 and last updated on 5 April 2025
