Czech Airlines (abbreviation: ČSA, ) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

aviation brand and privately held

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

. Between 1923 and 2024, it operated as an independent airline and served as the

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations. Histo ...

of the Czech Republic. Czech Airlines ended its own flight operations on 26 October 2024, handing them over to

Smartwings Smartwings, a.s. (formerly ''Travel Service, a.s.'') is a Czech airline with its head office on the property of Václav Havel Airport Prague in Ruzyně, 6th district, Prague. It is the biggest airline in the Czech Republic, and it operates sch ...

while being repurposed into a

. ČSA was the fifth oldest airline in the world, after Dutch

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

(1919), Colombian

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...

(1919), Australian

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

(1920), and Soviet/Russian

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...

(1923). It was the first airline in the world to fly regular jet-only routes (between

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

). The airline ran a frequent flyer programme called "OK Plus" about the airline's

International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

designation, as well as the term of approval; OK also featured prominently in its previous

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

, and was the prefix of Czech aircraft registrations. It was a member of the

SkyTeam SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three alliances to be formed, after Star Alliance and Oneworld. Its annual passenger count is 624 million customers (2024), the second ...

alliance. Its hub was

Václav Havel Airport Prague Václav Havel Airport Prague () , formerly Prague Ruzyně International Airport (, ), is an international airport of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The airport was founded in 1937 when it replaced the Kbely Airport (founded in 19 ...

. When, in 2018, 97.74% of Czech Airlines was bought by the privately owned

, ČSA became a part of the Smartwings Group. The remaining 2.26% of ČSA was owned by insurance company Česká Pojišťovna. ČSA filed for bankruptcy in March 2021 and went through an extensive business restructuring, exiting in June 2022. As of 2022, ČSA was under a new ownership structure with a new parent company called Prague City Air s.r.o. owning 70% of the company, with Smartwings retaining the remaining 30%. On 26 October 2024, Czech Airlines became the parent (holding) company of Smartwings. As part of this transition, Smartwings took over the operational management of flights previously operated by Czech Airlines. The last scheduled flight of Czech Airlines was flight OK767 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to

, operated by an Airbus A320-214 registered OK-IOO. Following the flight's departure, "Featured flight alert" notifications were sent out to users of the ADS-B flight tracker

Flightradar24 Flightradar24 is a Swedish Internet-based service that shows real-time aircraft flight tracking information on a map. It includes flight tracking information, origins and destinations, flight numbers, aircraft types, positions, altitudes, headi ...

application for flight OK767, the last flight of Czech Airlines.

History

Early years

ČSA was founded on 6 October 1923 by the Czechoslovak government as ČSA Československé státní aerolinie (Czechoslovak State Airlines). Twenty-three days later, its first transport flight took place, flying between

and

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

. It only operated domestic services until its first international flight from Prague to Bratislava and on to

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in 1930. After the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and splitting the country into three parts, the airline was dissolved. Following a coup in February 1948, the

Czechoslovak Communist Party The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Comi ...

suspended some of ČSA's western European and Middle Eastern routes and also gradually replaced much of the fleet with

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-built airliners, due to the embargo imposed by the West on the western-built aircraft spares and other equipment. The

Ilyushin Il-14 The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) is a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950 in aviation, 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in East ...

was updated and built under licence in Czechoslovakia as the Avia-14. In 1950, ČSA became the world's first victim of a mass hijacking. Three Czechoslovak

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

airliners flown to an American

air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

Erding Erding () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the Erding (district), rural district of the same name. It had a population of 36,469 in 2019. The original Erdinger Weissbier is a well-known Bavarian specialty. Erding is ...

, near Munich, stirred the world on both sides of the "burnt through"

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

and the case intensified the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

between East and West overnight. On the morning of 24 March, the three aircraft landed near

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

instead of at Prague; the first from

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

, at 08:20, the second from Moravská Ostrava at 08:40, and the third from Bratislava at 09:20. Two-thirds of the people on board were unwilling participants and later returned to Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak Communist government commissioned a 'flight to freedom' book, stage play, and film (all bearing the name ''Kidnap to Erding'') which celebrated the kidnapped returnees as heroes who had not allowed themselves to be swayed by promises of capitalist opulence. Those who remained and requested

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

were proclaimed criminals for whom the Prague government vigorously requested extradition – in vain. The pilot from Brno was Josef Klesnil, a former Royal Air Force pilot with 311 squadron, who flew from Brno to Erding with a pistol pointed at his head. In 1957, ČSA became the third airline to fly jet services, taking delivery of and putting into service the very first Tupolev Tu-104A that year. ČSA was the only airline other than

to operate the Tu-104. The Tu-104A service that began in 1957 between Prague and Moscow was the first jet-only connection (other airlines used both jets and piston/turboprop aircraft).Zeman 2003, p. 70 The airline's first transatlantic services started on 3 February 1962 with a flight to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Flight International ''Flight International'', formerly ''Flight'', is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", i ...

3 April 2007 using a

Bristol Britannia The Bristol Type 175 Britannia is a retired United Kingdom, British flight length, medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to meet British civilian aviation needs. During development two prototypes were lo ...

turboprop leased from

Cubana de Aviación Cubana de Aviación S.A., or simply Cubana, is the flag carrier and largest airline of Cuba. It was founded in October 1929, becoming one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. It has its corporate headquarters in Havana, and its ...

. ČSA's transatlantic flights were code-shared with Cubana's services to Prague, and Cubana's crews provided initial training and assistance in the operation of the Britannia.

1960 to 1990

From the late 1960s, ČSA used a range of Soviet-built aircraft and modified versions for its extensive European and intercontinental services, totalling some 50 international and 15 domestic destinations. The Britannia was replaced with shorter-range Ilyushin Il-18D turboprops at this time, and transatlantic routes were established to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in addition to Havana, with refuelling stops at Shannon (Eire) and Gander (Newfoundland). Along with the Il-18D, aircraft in ČSA's fleet included the short-range

Tupolev Tu-134 The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner built in the Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain oth ...

, medium-range

Tupolev Tu-154 The Tupolev Tu-154 (; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian airlines for several decades, ...

, and long-range

Ilyushin Il-62 The Ilyushin Il-62 (; NATO reporting name: Classic) is a Soviet Union, Soviet long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jetliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As a successor to the popular turboprop Ilyushin Il-18, Il-18 and with capacit ...

. As with several other airlines, the Il-62 was the first long-range jet airliner to be put into operation by ČSA (also the first foreign customer to buy Il-62s from the USSR). ČSA operated a fleet of 21 Il-62s between 1969 and 1997, including six Il-62Ms. A ČSA-registered Il-62 and three Il-62Ms were used as official Czechoslovak and Czech government transports between 1974 and 1996. After absorbing the "heavier" part of Slov-Air and taking its Let L-410A Turbolet turboprop commuters into its fleet in the early 1970s, ČSA partner airliner Slov-Air became the world's first to have a captain, Ján Mičica, slain at the controls by a hijacker, during a hijacking to West Germany. The aircraft involved, OK-ADN, is currently displayed in an open-air aircraft museum in

Martin, Slovakia Martin (; until 1951 ''Turčiansky Svätý Martin'', , German: ''Turz-Sankt Martin'', Latin: ''Sanctus Martinus / Martinopolis'') is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, between the Malá Fatra and Veľká Fatra mountains ...

The 1990s and 2000s

On 1 January 1991, Czechoslovakian Airlines split into two companies: Czechoslovakian Airlines, which would become Czech Airlines, and Slov Air, which had previously been a subsidiary of the original Czechoslovakian Airlines. The division of Czechoslovakian Airlines ownership in 1991 between the governing bodies of the Czech and Slovak parts of Czechoslovakia had no connection to the split of Czechoslovakia two years later, in January 1993. The post-split Czechoslovakian Airlines became privatized in 1992. Air France and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development owned 19.1% of shares of the new company, while the Fund of National Ownership of the Czech Republic owned 49.3%. Czech Insurance Company owned 4.5%, the city of Prague owned 3.5%, and the last 2.3% was split evenly between three Slovakian cities: Bratislava, Kosice, and Poprad. After the

breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the ending of a Interpersonal relationship, relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a ma ...

of the Czechoslovak Federation, the airline in May 1995 adopted its present name. By the late 1990s, most of its Soviet aircraft had either been sold to other airlines or retired (a number were preserved), replaced with Western models such as the

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...

Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, Aircraft design process, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie GIE, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the Airbus ...

and

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

. ČSA became a full member of the SkyTeam alliance on 18 October 2000. As of March 2007, the airline, with 5,440 employees, was owned by the Czech Ministry of Finance (56.92%), the Czech Consolidation Agency (34.59%), and other Czech institutions. On 1 January 2010, the whole non-office ground staff of ČSA was transferred to the ČSA Support subsidiary, now named Czech Airlines Handling S.R.O. In February 2010, ČSA sold off its

duty-free A duty-free shop or store is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who will ...

shops to another entity. EU competition regulators began an investigation into Czech Airlines on 23 February 2011, stating that it doubted the loss-making concern could return to viability and comply with European Union state aid regulations. In late 2012, ČSA Czech Airlines announced expansion plans and the resumption of long-haul flights in summer 2013 with Airbus A330 aircraft between Prague and Seoul. Starting in March 2013, it operated direct flights from Prague to Perm,

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, Seoul, and

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. After stock sales to Korean Air on 10 April 2013, ČSA Czech Airlines was owned by Czech Aeroholdings a.s. (56%) and Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (44%). On May 14, 2013, Czech Airlines Extraordinary General shareholders' meeting elected Cho Won-tae as a new member of its supervisory board. Cho replaced Petr Matousek, who resigned from his position on the supervisory board. This personnel change took effect on 1 June 2013 as a result of Korean Air's equity purchase. In April 2015, Travel Service Group bought 34% of the airline, over which

Korean Air Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group. The present-day Korean Air tra ...

had an option. In 2016, the airline returned to profit for the first time in several years. On 6 October 2017, Korean Air announced the sale of its 44% stake in Czech Airlines, which it had held for four years, to Travel Service. Travel Service by then owned 78.9% of ČSA.aero.de - "Korean Air exits Czech Airlines"
(German) 6 October 2017 Czech state company Prisko owned 20% of ČSA. Travel Service later also acquired Prisko's stake, increasing its stake to 97.74%. In 2014, the airline sold its Airbus 320s, as it had become unprofitable to fly them due to low load factor and high maintenance costs. In the summer of 2015, the fleet consisted of seventeen planes: seven Turboprops, nine Airbus A319s, and one long-haul Airbus A330 that was leased to the airline by Korean Air. In 2016, the airline transported 2.26 million passengers, a 13% increase from 2015. The average load factor increased from 10% to 75%, and the total number of flights increased by 9%. In the same year, the airline ordered six A320 Neo models, which was later reduced to three in 2019, and then converted into three orders for the Airbus A321XLR model instead at the beginning of 2020, with plans to launch North American Routes. Manufacturer Airbus planned to deliver the planes in 2023 and 2024. However, the airline cancelled the order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline operated a fleet of eighteen planes over the summer of 2017 to a total of fifty different destinations, including twenty-five distinct European and Asian countries, the most extensive coverage since the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

. From the fall of 2018 through the winter of 2019, Smartwings Group management eliminated many airline routes, including the Prague-Bratislava and Prague-Ostrava routes that the airline has been flying since its inception. Soon after, profitable routes into select Russian cities were eliminated and immediately replaced by new routes operated by Smartwings. Under the leadership of the Smartwings Group, the Czech Airline's fleet was planned to be transformed into a fully integrated Boeing 737 fleet, the same model that the Smartwings fleet used. However, due to technical and safety issues in the Boeing 737 MAX model found in early 2019, management decided that Czech Airlines would operate the ongoing Airbus fleet while Smartwings would operate a Boeing fleet. In April 2019, the fleet experienced a reduction of three out of the four operating Airbus A319s. However, one of these was later reintroduced.

Latest developments

In March 2019, Smartwings announced that ČSA would undergo a fleet transition, with the

Airbus A319 The Airbus A319 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The A319 carries 124 to 156 passengers and has a maximum range of . Final ass ...

and

ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR. The number "72" in its name is derived from the aircraft's typical standard seating capacity of 72 pa ...

to be retired.austrianaviation.net - "Smartwings establishes German subsidiary"
(German) 7 March 2019 In the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Czech Airlines announced in April 2020 the end of its already suspended sole long-haul route to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. Thus, its sole

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

was to be returned to lessor

by October 2020. Towards the end of January 2020, the airline announced a plan to expand and modernize the fleet, with the planned addition of four new Airbus A320s. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these plans were abandoned. In the early stages of the pandemic, the company's workforce declined from 700 to 300 employees, and by the end of the year, the active fleet declined from five planes to two, both of which were under lease, flying to only five European destinations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ČSA fell into

insolvency In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...

, applying for a moratorium in August 2020. In February 2021, a maintenance provider ordered the seizure of two Czech Airlines'

ATR 72-500 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR. The number "72" in its name is derived from the aircraft's typical standard seating capacity of 72 pa ...

in Prague over unpaid debts. Before the incident, near the end of the moratorium, majority owner

announced that Czech Airlines faced

should it not receive state financial aid, but the aid raised controversy. That same month, the airline notified the Czech Employment Office that it might lay off its entire

workforce In macroeconomics, the workforce or labour force is the sum of people either working (i.e., the employed) or looking for work (i.e., the unemployed): \text = \text + \text Those neither working in the marketplace nor looking for work are out ...

of some 430 people. In March 2021, it added that it had no means to meet its financial obligations and filed for bankruptcy. In March 2021, ČSA announced the immediate retirement of all

aircraft, considerably shrinking its remaining fleet.ch-aviation.com - CSA Czech Airlines retires all ATRs
10 March 2021 At the end of August 2021, ČSA was operating just one

aircraft; the second was inoperable. As of summer 2022, Czech Airlines had reduced its network to just three scheduled routes. In 2023, the only route operated by Czech Airlines was from Prague-Paris. In June 2022, ČSA exited business restructuring under a new ownership structure. Prague City Air, founded under the aid of Smartwings shareholders Jiří Šimáně and Roman Vik, was created to own 70% of ČSA while current majority shareholder Smartwings retained 30%. As of late 2022, the airline also planned to rebuild its fleet and route network using Airbus A320 and newly acquired

Airbus A220 The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (ACLP). It was originally developed by Bombardier Aviation and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launche ...

aircraft. On 20 February 2024, Prague City Air s.r.o. purchased 49.92% shares in Smartwings a.s. from Rainbow Wisdom Investment Limited. Smartwings spokeswoman Vladimíra Dufková announced that the Czech shareholders now own 100% of the shares in both Smartwings and CSA Czech Airlines. In October 2024, Czech Airlines was restructured into a holding company, with Smartwings taking over all flight operations under both brand names.ch-aviation.com - Czechia's CSA to become holding co, Smartwings to run ops
16 May 2024 The Czech Airlines brand remains active, with two Airbus A320 aircraft in its livery currently in operation. Additionally, four Airbus A220 aircraft in Czech Airlines colors are scheduled for delivery in the upcoming months. On October 26, the last flight of ČSA took place, as it took off in the evening from

Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport, is the primary international airport serving Paris, the capital city of France. The airport opened in 1974 and is located in Roissy-en-France, northeast of Paris. It is named for ...

in Paris to Prague Václav Havel Airport. This was the last flight under what has become to be known as its iconic "OK" flight call.

Corporate affairs

Head office

In 2016, Czech Airlines head office moved to Evropská Street in 6th district, Prague, Vokovice district to lower overhead. Czech Airlines formerly had its head office, the APC Building, on the grounds of

Ruzyně Ruzyně is a district of Prague city, part of Prague 6. It has been a part of Prague since 1960. Václav Havel Airport is located in this district. Czech Airlines has its head office on the grounds of the airport. Travel Service Airlines and its l ...

, 6th district, Prague. On 30 December 2009, ČSA announced it would sell its head office to the airport for CZK 607 million. Before the insolvency application, in February 2021, Czech Airlines moved its headquarters to the Smartwings building at Prague airport.

Former subsidiaries

Holidays_Czech_Airlines_Airbus_A320_Vanzura

*Czech Airlines Handling provided ground handling or passenger and aircraft handling for many airlines operating flights from Prague. *Czech Airlines Technics provided aircraft maintenance and regular certified servicing for the Czech Airlines fleet and other airlines. *Czech Aviation Training Centre provided training to future aircrew members, as well as refresher and further training to existing crews operated by the state-owned enterprise Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic. In addition to Czech Airlines, services of the training centre were also used by other airlines. Furthermore, "Flying without Fear" and "Stewardess/Steward Try-outs" courses were offered, as well as the "Flying for Fun" adventure course. These special events were also open to the public. *Holidays Czech Airlines, a defunct

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

subsidiary, focused mainly on flying to holiday destinations such as Greece, Turkey and Spain. The airline launched on 1 June 2010 and ceased in July 2014.

Financial results

Since its transformation to a joint-stock company in August 1992, ČSA has never paid dividends. The sale of a minority share to

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

was a fiasco, and the French airline withdrew. Subsequently, Antonín Jakubše and Miroslav Kůla stabilized the company and enlarged its fleet. In September 2003, Miroslav Kůla was fired. New CEO and ex-minister Jaroslav Tvrdík agreed with the unions to increase wages by a third and announced an "unprecedented" enlargement of the fleet. In 2005, the financial situation sharply deteriorated. Although the sale of two ATR aircraft improved operating results by CZK 198 million, the operating loss was almost half a billion Czech crowns and the Government of Jiří Paroubek replaced Jaroslav Tvrdík with Radomír Lašák. The airline generated further operating losses, despite revenues of CZK 2.1 bn from the sale of almost all real estate and CZK 1.2 bn from aircraft sales. In 2005–2010, ČSA generated an operating loss of CZK 3.4 bn; without long-term asset sale revenues, the operating loss would have been twice as large. The gross margin did not even cover personnel expenses.Annual reports of České aerolinie a.s., calendar years 1997-2014 In 2016, the airline handled 2.7 million passengers and announced a net profit of 241 million crowns.

Corporate identity

Logo

A new look for Czech Airlines was revealed in September 2007. The new logo was created by Michal Kotyza, who works for the airline. File:ČSA logo.png, Historic logo File:Czech Airlines Logo.svg, 2007–2024

Livery

File:CSA Tupolev Tu-124 Soderstrom-3.jpg, Pre–1975 Czechoslovak Airlines livery, with a feathered-wing-like branched line on fuselage bottom and "wind-swept" serifs File:Ceskoslovenske Aerolinie Il-62 OK-DBE.jpg, 1975–1993 Czechoslovak Airlines livery: a red line over windows and OK (JET) prominent on tail File:Airbus A310-304-ET, CSA - Czech Airlines AN0765602.jpg, 1993–2007 Czech Airlines livery: large abbreviation, blue line added, triangles on tail File:Airbus A319-112, CSA - Czech Airlines AN1710502.jpg, 2007–2024 Czech Airlines livery, with a rounded triangle

On-board services

Czech Airlines offered

buy on board In commercial aviation, buy on board (BoB) is a system in which in-flight food or beverages are not included in the ticket price but are purchased on board or ordered in advance as an optional extra during or after the booking process. Some a ...

service on some flights in addition to free service.

Frequent-flyer program

The OK Plus frequent flyer programme gave passengers "OK Plus Miles" for flights with Czech Airlines,

member airlines, other partner airlines or non-airline partners. OK Plus membership cards were available with the following tier levels: OK Plus membership, OK Plus Silver, OK Plus Gold, and OK Plus Platinum. The higher the card level, the greater the number of benefits passengers receive. CSA terminated its OK Plus program in October 2024, without implementing a replacement scheme.

Destinations

Scheduled flights

As of February 2021, Czech Airlines served four scheduled year-round and seasonal destinations including their home base at

.csa.cz - Destinations
retrieved 1 July 2022 This figure was down from 33 routes in summer 2019. Flights were operated mainly in Europe, with

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

being the sole remaining Middle Eastern destination. ČSA offered more than 110 destinations and 45 countries from Prague, but none of the long-haul service via its codeshare partners. As of October 2024, routes to Paris and Madrid are operated by Smartwings under the Czech Airlines brand using two Airbus A320 aircraft in Czech Airlines livery.

Charter flights

In June 2007, ČSA signed a contract with Dxim Tours, the largest Czech travel agency, extending their contract for another three years. In May 2010, ČSA withdrew its last Airbus A310 used for these services.

Codeshare agreements

Czech Airlines had

codeshares A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

with the following airlines: *

Aeroméxico Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V. () operating as Aeroméxico (; styled as AM), is the flag carrier of Mexico based in Mexico City. It operates scheduled services to more than 90 destinations in Mexico, North, South and Central America, the Ca ...

Air Europa Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded as Air Europa, is the third-largest Spain, Spanish airline after Iberia (airline), Iberia and Vueling. The airline is headquartered in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain; it has its main hub at Adolfo Suárez M ...

airBaltic airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia. Its head office are located on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its main airline hub, hub is Riga, and it o ...

Azerbaijan Airlines Azerbaijan Airlines (), also known as AZAL, is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Azerbaijan. Based in Baku, adjacent to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the carrier operates to destinations across Asia, the Commonwealth of Ind ...

Belavia Belavia, formally Belavia Belarusian Airlines (; ), is the flag carrier of Belarus, headquartered in Minsk. The state-owned company had, as of 2007, 1,017 employees. Belavia serves a network of routes between Commonwealth of Independent States, ...

Bulgaria Air Bulgaria Air () is the flag carrier airline of Bulgaria, with its headquarters at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport in Sofia. The company is owned by Chimimport AD and is a leader in terms of local market share. The airline operates short and medium ha ...

China Airlines China Airlines (CAL; zh, t=中華航空, poj=Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong, p=Zhōnghuá Hángkōng, first=t, c=, s=) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with E ...

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines (branded as China Southern) is a major airline in China, headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It is one of the three major airlines in the country, along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Established on 1 ...

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

Etihad Airways Etihad Airways is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and ...

Finnair Finnair Plc (, ) is the flag carrier and largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, with headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its airline hub, hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...

Hainan Airlines Hainan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. It is the largest civilian-run enterprise, civilian-run and majority State ownership, state-owned air transport company, making it the fourth-largest airline in terms of flee ...

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

Middle East Airlines Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. (), more commonly known as Middle East Airlines (MEA) (), is the flag carrier of Lebanon, with its head office in Beirut, near Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. It operates scheduled internat ...

Saudia Saudia (), formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (), is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia based in Jeddah. The airline's main hubs are the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the ...

TAROM TAROM (; legally ''Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A.'') is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania, based in Otopeni near Bucharest. Its headquarters and its main hub are at Henri Coand� ...

* Ural Airlines *

Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines () is the flag carrier of Vietnam. The airline was founded in 1956 and later established as a Government-owned corporation, state-owned enterprise in April 1989. Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Biên district, Hanoi ...

Vueling Vueling S.A. (, ) is a List of airlines of Spain, Spanish low-cost airline based at Viladecans in Greater Barcelona with operating bases at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (main); Orly Airport, Paris-Orly Airport in Paris, France; Schiphol Airport, ...

Fleet

Current fleet

, the Czech Airlines-branded fleet consists of the following aircraft: The entire fleet of Czech Airlines-branded

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

aircraft is operated by

, an airline owned by Czech Airlines.

Historical fleet

Czech or Czechoslovak Airlines operated these aircraft types in the past:

Accidents and incidents

Fatal accidents

* On August 12, 1930, a ČSA Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor (registration OK-FOR) crashed near Jihlava (Iglau) while attempting to avoid a thunderstorm. The aircraft struck the ground in poor visibility after a sharp turn to avoid a chimney and caught fire, killing 12 of 13 on board. * On August 13, 1938, a ČSA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 (registration OK-BAG) struck a wooded mountain near Oberkirch on approach to Strasbourg en route from Prague via Paris, killing all 17 on board, the stewardess survived, but died a day later. * On March 5, 1946, a ČSA

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...

/3m (registration OK-ZDN) crashed near Prague after two landing attempts, killing 10 of 15 on board. The aircraft was operating a Paris-Strasbourg-Prague passenger service. * On February 13, 1947, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-XDU) crashed shortly after takeoff from Ruzyne Airport while on a training flight, killing all three on board; improper maintenance was blamed, leading to a five-day crew strike. * On December 21, 1948, ČSA Flight 584 (a Douglas C-47A, registration OK-WDN) struck a hillside near Pilos, Greece in bad weather, killing all 24 on board. Other reports state the aircraft was shot down after the pilot lit a flare or crashed into the hill while dropping weapons for communist insurgents. The aircraft was operating a passenger service from Czechoslovakia to Israel with stops at Rome and Athens. * On February 27, 1950, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-WDY) struck Praded Mountain en route to Prague from Ostrava, killing six of 25 on board. * On January 12, 1954, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-WDS) struck a chimney and power lines and crashed near Prague after nearly failing to take off, killing all 13 on board. * On January 18, 1956, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-WDZ) struck Mount Skapova after the aircraft was blown off course by strong winds, killing 22 of 26 on board. * On November 24, 1956, a ČSA Ilyushin Il-12 (registration OK-DBP) crashed into a field near Egislau, Switzerland, killing all 23 on board. * On January 2, 1961, a ČSA Avia 14 (registration OK-MCZ) crashed on a climb out from Prague during a pilot training flight after failing to gain height on takeoff, killing all 10 on board. * On March 28, 1961, ČSA Flight 511 (an Ilyushin Il-18V) crashed in Gräfenberg near Nürnberg during a Prague-Zurich service due to structural failure, killing all 52 on board. * On July 12, 1961, ČSA Flight 511 (an Ilyushin Il-18V, registration OK-PAF) crashed near Anfa Airport due to a possible crew error, killing all 72 on board. * On October 10, 1962, ČSA Flight 306 (an Avia 14, registration OK-MCT) crashed near Slavkov while on approach to Brno, killing 13 of 42 on board. * On September 5, 1967,

ČSA Flight 523 ČSA Flight 523, operated by an Ilyushin Il-18D, was a scheduled flight from Prague Ruzyně International Airport (PRG/LKPR), Czechoslovakia to Havana via Shannon Airport and Gander International Airport, with 69 people on board, on 5 September 1 ...

, an Ilyushin Il-18D (registration OK-WAI), crashed on climbout from

Gander International Airport Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. Th ...

while on a Prague-Shannon-Gander-Havana passenger service, killing 37 of 69 on board; the cause was never determined. * On October 11, 1968, a ČSA Avia 14-32A (registration OK-MCJ, named ''Svit Gottwaldov'') crashed near Ptice shortly after takeoff from Prague, killing 11 of 40 on board. * On June 1, 1970, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-104A (registration OK-NDD, named ''Plzen'') crashed after two attempted approaches to Tripoli International Airport, killing all 13 on board. * On August 20, 1975 ČSA Flight 540, an

(registration OK-DBF, named ''Brno Trade Fair'') flew into the ground during a night-time approach to Damascus International Airport due to a misunderstanding between the pilots and the control tower that resulted in an incorrect altimeter setting, killing 126 of 128 on board in Syria's worst ever air disaster. * On July 28, 1976, ČSA Flight 001, an Ilyushin Il-18V (registration OK-NAB, named ''Košice''), which was operating as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Prague's Ruzyně airport to Bratislava-Ivanka Airport, both in Czechoslovakia, crashed into the Zlaté Piesky (Golden Sands) lake while attempting to land in Bratislava. All 6 crew members and 70 out of 73 passengers died. * On February 11, 1977, a ČSA Avia 14T (registration OK-OCA) struck trees and crashed near Ivanka Airport due to crew error, killing four of five on board. This is ČSA's last fatal accident.

Non-fatal accidents

* On November 9, 1946, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-XDG) force-landed near Dobrovíz after running out of fuel while in a holding pattern due to bad weather; all 18 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off. * On December 24, 1946, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-WDD) was written off following an emergency landing near Paris; all 15 on board survived. * On January 25, 1947, a ČSA Douglas C-47A (registration OK-WDB) was struck by a crashing Douglas Dakota while parked at Croydon Airport; there were no casualties, but the aircraft was written off. See

1947 Croydon Dakota accident The 1947 Croydon Dakota accident occurred on 25 January 1947 when a Spencer Airways Douglas C-47A Skytrain (Dakota) failed to get airborne from Croydon Airport near London, and crashed into a parked and empty ČSA Douglas C-47 destroying bot ...

. * On March 16, 1963, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-104A (registration OK-LDB) caught fire and burned out while being refuelled at Santa Cruz Airport, India; no casualties except for a flight attendant who was injured after jumping from the plane. * On August 18, 1970, ČSA Flight 744, a

Tupolev Tu-124 The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO reporting name: Cookpot) is a 56-passenger short-range twin-jet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the Soviet Union's first operational airliner powered by turbofan engines. Design and development Developed fro ...

V (registration OK-TEB, named ''Centrotex''), landed wheels-up at Kloten Airport after the crew became preoccupied with cabin pressurization problems; all 20 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off. * On August 29, 1973
ČSA Flight 531, a Tupolev Tu-104A (registration OK-MDE)
slid off the runway while landing a
Nicosia Airport
all 70 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off. * On January 2, 1977, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-134A (registration OK-CFD) collided on the runway at Ruzyne Airport with a ČSA Ilyushin Il-18 (OK-NAA) that was taking off; all 48 on board the Tu-134 survived, but it was written off; the Il-18 (all six on board survived) was substantially damaged but was repaired and returned to service, it was retired in 1981 and is now in a museum. * On October 11, 1988, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-134A (registration OK-AFB) landed hard at Ruzyne Airport; there were no casualties, but the aircraft was written off and flown to Piešťany where it served as a restaurant. * On June 9, 2012, a Czech Airlines

ATR 42-500 The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now part of Airbu ...

(registration OK-KFM) was destroyed in a hangar explosion and fire at Ruzyne International Airport. A second ATR 42 (OK-JFK) was also damaged by the fire. Two Czech Airlines Technics employees were working with an explosive liquid. The liquid was sucked into a heavy technic vehicle, which then blew up near the aircraft and caused the fire.

Hijackings

* On April 6, 1948, a ČSA Douglas DC-3 was hijacked to

Neubiberg Air Base Neubiberg Air Base is a former German Air Force and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany. Today the former base area holds the campus of Bundeswehr University of ...

, Germany by 20 people wishing to escape Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. * On March 24, 1950, three

s from Czechoslovakia were simultaneously hijacked. All three aircraft landed at the US Air Force Base at Erding, West Germany. In all, 26 of 85 passengers chose to stay in West Germany to escape Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. * On March 23, 1952, a ČSA Douglas C-47 was hijacked by four people who demanded to be taken to Germany. The aircraft landed safely at

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

with no casualties.

References

Sources

External links

* {{Authority control Defunct airlines of the Czech Republic Airlines established in 1923 Airlines disestablished in 2024 Companies based in Prague Czechoslovak companies established in 1923 Czech brands Government-owned airlines Former SkyTeam members Defunct airlines of Czechoslovakia