Czech Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the world, will officially cease to exist on October 26.
On that day, the company will stop using the code “OK” and will have its flights transferred to Smartwings (QS), in addition to leaving the Skyteam alliance.
The airline was founded as ČSA – Československé Státní Aerolinie on October 26, 1923 and operated for decades with aircraft of Soviet origin.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
It was one of the first airlines to receive jet aircraft, in this case the Tupolev TU-104 in 1957, using it on the Prague-Moscow route.
The carrier also flew to New York, Montreal and Havana from the 1960s onwards.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia led ČSA to adopt its current name of Czech Airlines and introduce Western aircraft into its fleet, such as the A310-300, A320-200 and 737-300.
Its modern fleet and network made it one of the most dynamic airlines in the former Soviet bloc and the first in the region to join a global alliance, Skyteam, on 25 March 2001.
Taken over by Smartwings
In March 2013, it began operating flights to Seoul, South Korea. The flight was part of a partnership with Korean Air, which had bought 44% of the company at the same time.
In 2015, the charter company Travel Service (now Smartwings) bought 34% of the Czech government’s shares, a stake that was increased to 78% in 2017, after purchasing shares in Korean Air.
With effective control of the company, Smartwings rationalized the Czech Airlines fleet, retiring the A319 jets and ATR-72 turboprops.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to file for bankruptcy and cancel its international route to Seoul.
After exiting bankruptcy, Czech Airlines emerged with a new corporate structure: 30% with Smartwings and the remainder with Prague City Air. The company was left with just one A320-200, operating on the Prague-Paris route.
In May 2024, it was announced that Czech Airlines would be discontinued and that it would become a holding company that would house Smartwings.
A melancholy end for the world’s fifth oldest airline, after KLM, Avianca, Qantas and Aeroflot.
