Prague's Kbely museum holds one of Europe's largest aviation collections

The aviation museum at the Kbely military airfield on the edge of Prague has roughly 275 exhibits, about half of them open to visitors, making it one of the largest collections of its kind in Europe. Entry is free. Russian aircraft feature prominently among the displays.

The site is also home to the 24th air base of the Czech Air Force's flight contingent. Kbely opened in 1918 as the first full airport on Czechoslovak territory after the First World War and served as the air force's home base. Civil traffic soon outgrew it. In October 1923 the newly founded CSA Czechoslovak Airlines flew its first scheduled service from Kbely to Bratislava. The government then began building a separate civil airport at Prague-Ruzyne, today's Vaclav Havel Prague Airport, which took over civilian operations from 1937. Kbely remained reserved for Czechoslovak aircraft production and the military.

The museum has grown from one hangar in 1968 to six. Its collection is closely tied to the history of Czechoslovak and Czech aviation, particularly its military branch.

Prague drew more than 8.25 million visitors in 2025, according to the report, but the museum lies a few kilometres outside the crowded city centre and is little known among tourists.