Prague, May 8 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman opened yesterday a new permanent exhibition at the military airport in Prague-Kbely which features all commanders in its history that started shortly after the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918.
The military airport with continuous operation is not commonly opened to the public.
Zeman thanked the employees of the airport, which he and other politicians often use, for their work.
Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky said Zeman’s presence at the airport yesterday, which is a national holiday (Victory Day), testifies to his interest in the military, which he said is encouraging for it.
“This soil is holy for us, I dare say. Our aviation tradition, established during the first republic (1918-38), a tradition founded by our first president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, is embodied here,” Stropnicky said.
He said perhaps all Czech pilots who wore the uniform of the Czech military remember the Kbely runway.
Stropnicky said about 2500 of them took part in World War Two fighting and 540 of them died in it.
Chief of Staff Josef Becvar said Kbely and the nearby Letnany became the centre of development of the Czech air force right after Czechoslovakia was established.
