AIRPORT The Cabinet approved the transformation of Letiště Praha, the company that operates Prague's Ruzyně Airport, into a state-owned joint-stock company. The move paves the way for a possible privatization of the company next year. The airport is expected to clear a record-high 11.5 million passengers this year. Letiště Praha had net profit worth 1.4 billion Kč ($62.6 million) in 2005.

PRAGUE Prague ranked the 13th-most-attractive city in which to run a business, according to the annual European Cities Monitor conducted by real estate company Cushman & Wakefield. The monitor surveyed managers of 507 major companies in 33 European cities. London, Paris and Frankfurt took the top three spots. Warsaw and Budapest placed 18th and 22nd, respectively.

TOURISM The number of tourists in Prague dropped for the first time since the fall of communism in 1989, according to the Association of Czech Travel Agencies and Tour Operators. The total number of tourists coming to the Czech Republic in the first half of 2006 rose 4 percent to nearly 3 million, but Prague saw a decline of 2.4 percent. The number of British tourists to Prague fell more than 10 percent.

VIETNAM The representatives of Czech companies accompanying President Václav Klaus on his official tour of Asia signed contracts worth 3.6 billion Kč in Vietnam Sept. 29. Talks are also under way on building power plants, cement works and hospital reconstruction in that country. The value of the contracts being negotiated stands at around 36 billion Kč.