Czech Airlines facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
ČSA-Czech Airlines
ČSA-České Aerolinie

Founded	6 October 1923; 101 years ago (1923-10-06)
Hubs	Václav Havel Airport Prague
Frequent-flyer program	OK Plus
Alliance	SkyTeam
Fleet size	2
Destinations	5
Parent company	Prague City Air (70%) Smartwings (30%)
Headquarters	Prague, Czech Republic
Revenue	CZK 9.5 bn (2014)
Operating income	CZK 285 m (2016)
Total assets	CZK 2.2 bn (2014)
Total equity	CZK (0.3) bn (2014)
Employees	587

Czech Airlines (also known as ČSA) is the main airline of the Czech Republic. Its main office is in Prague, and its main airport is Václav Havel Airport Prague.

In 2018, most of Czech Airlines was bought by a company called Smartwings. This made ČSA part of the Smartwings Group. The airline has a special program for frequent flyers called "OK Plus." ČSA is also a member of the SkyTeam alliance, which is a group of airlines that work together.

ČSA is one of the oldest airlines in the world, started in 1923. Only a few other airlines, like Dutch KLM and Australian Qantas, are older. ČSA was also the first airline to use only jet planes for regular flights between Prague and Moscow.

In 2021, ČSA faced financial difficulties and went through a big change to fix its business. By 2022, it had new owners, with Prague City Air owning 70% and Smartwings owning 30%.

History

A Farman F.60 Goliath airplane used by ČSA in 1929.

An Ilyushin Il-12 airplane from Czechoslovak Airlines at Paris Orly Airport in 1957.

ČSA Tupolev Tu-104 OK-LDA in 1958. This plane is now in the Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely.

A Czechoslovak Airlines Tupolev Tu-134A at Pisa Airport in May 1975.

A Czechoslovak Airlines Ilyushin Il-62 OK-DBE in 1975 at Milan Linate Airport.

Early years

ČSA was started on October 6, 1923, by the Czechoslovak government. Its first flight was just 23 days later, flying between Prague and Bratislava. For a while, it only flew within the country. In 1930, it made its first international flight from Prague to Bratislava and then to Zagreb in Yugoslavia. The airline stopped operating when Czechoslovakia was divided in 1939.

After a big political change in 1948, the government started using mostly planes made in the Soviet Union. This was because other countries stopped selling parts for Western-built planes to Czechoslovakia.

In 1950, ČSA had a unique event when three of its planes were flown to an American air base in Erding, Germany. Many people on board wanted to stay in West Germany to seek political asylum. Most passengers returned to Czechoslovakia, but those who stayed were seen as criminals by the government.

In 1957, ČSA became one of the first airlines to use jet planes. It started flying the Tupolev Tu-104A. ČSA was the only airline besides Aeroflot to use this type of jet. Their jet service between Prague and Moscow was the first regular flight using only jet aircraft. In 1962, ČSA began flying across the Atlantic Ocean to Havana, Cuba.

1960 to 1990

From the late 1960s, ČSA used many Soviet-built planes for its flights across Europe and to other continents. They flew to about 50 international and 15 domestic places. Planes like the Ilyushin Il-18D, Tupolev Tu-134, Tupolev Tu-154, and Ilyushin Il-62 were part of their fleet. The Il-62 was the first long-range jet ČSA used.

In the early 1970s, ČSA took over some smaller planes from another airline called Slov-Air. Sadly, during a flight to West Germany, a pilot from Slov-Air was killed by a hijacker. The plane involved is now in a museum in Martin, Slovakia.

The 1990s and 2000s

The first Western European plane for ČSA after the Velvet Revolution, an Airbus A310-300, in 1992.

A former Czech Airlines ATR 72-500 airplane.

After Czechoslovakia split up, the airline changed its name to Czech Airlines in May 1995. By the late 1990s, ČSA replaced most of its Soviet planes with Western ones, like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. On October 18, 2000, ČSA became a full member of the SkyTeam alliance.

In 2010, ČSA sold its duty-free shops. In 2013, Korean Air bought a large part of ČSA. Later, in 2015, another company called Travel Service Group bought a share of the airline. By 2017, Travel Service owned most of ČSA.

Latest developments

In 2019, Smartwings announced that ČSA would change its fleet, getting rid of older planes like the Airbus A319 and ATR 72. They planned to order new Airbus A220-300 and A321XLR planes, but these orders were later cancelled in 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Czech Airlines stopped its only long-haul flight to Seoul in 2020. They also returned their Airbus A330 plane. The pandemic caused big financial problems for ČSA. In March 2021, they had to stop using all their ATR 72-500 planes.

By mid-2022, ČSA came out of its financial restructuring with new owners. Prague City Air now owns 70% of ČSA, and Smartwings owns 30%. The airline plans to rebuild its fleet and flight routes using Airbus A320 and new Airbus A220 planes. In February 2024, Smartwings and ČSA became fully owned by Czech shareholders again.

Corporate affairs

Head office

In 2016, Czech Airlines moved its main office to a new location in Prague 6 to save money. Before that, its office was at Václav Havel Airport Prague. In 2021, before facing financial difficulties, Czech Airlines moved its headquarters to the Smartwings building at Prague airport.

Former subsidiaries

A former Airbus A320-200 plane from Holidays Czech Airlines.

Czech Airlines Handling helped other airlines with ground services at Prague airport.
Czech Airlines Technics fixed and maintained planes for ČSA and other airlines.
Czech Aviation Training Centre trained new pilots and flight attendants. They also offered fun courses for the public, like "Flying without Fear."
Holidays Czech Airlines was a special airline that flew people to holiday spots like Greece and Spain. It started in 2010 and stopped in 2014.

Financial results

Since becoming a joint-stock company in 1992, ČSA has had its ups and downs financially. In 2016, the airline carried 2.7 million passengers and made a profit for the first time in several years.

Corporate identity

Logo

A new look for Czech Airlines was shown in September 2007. The new logo was designed by Michal Kotyza, who works for the airline.

Historic logo
2007–present

Livery

Czechoslovak Airlines plane before 1975.
Czechoslovak Airlines plane from 1975–1993.
Czech Airlines plane from 1993–2007.
Czech Airlines plane from 2007–present.

Services

Catering

Czech Airlines offers food and drinks for purchase on some flights, along with some free service.

Frequent-flyer program

The OK Plus program lets passengers earn "OK Plus Miles" when they fly with Czech Airlines or its partner airlines. These miles can also be earned with hotels and car rentals. There are different levels of membership (Silver, Gold, Platinum), and higher levels give more benefits.

Destinations

As of February 2021, Czech Airlines flew to four regular and seasonal places, including its home base in Prague. This is fewer than the 33 routes it had in 2019. Most flights are within Europe, with Beirut being its only Middle Eastern destination. ČSA also offers flights to over 110 places in 45 countries through its partner airlines.

Codeshare agreements

Czech Airlines works with these airlines to share flights:

Charter flights

In 2007, ČSA signed a deal with Exim Tours, a big travel agency, to continue their partnership for three more years. By 2010, ČSA stopped using its Airbus A310 for these special charter flights.

Fleet

A Czech Airlines Airbus A320-200 airplane.

Current fleet

As of November 2023, Czech Airlines uses these planes:

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
Aircraft	In service	Orders	B	E	Total	Notes
Airbus A220-300	—	4	TBA			Deliveries from 2024.
Airbus A320-200	2	—	—	180	180
Total	2	4

Historical fleet

Czech or Czechoslovak Airlines used these types of planes in the past:

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Notes
Aero A.10	5	1923	1924
Aero A.14 Brandenburg	3	1923	1927
Airbus A310-300	4	1991	2010
Airbus A319-100	8	2007	2022
Airbus A321-200	3	2005	2018	Leased from DAT.
Airbus A330-300	1	2013	2020	Leased from Korean Air.
ATR 42-300	5	1994	2011
ATR 42-400	2	1996	2005
ATR 42-500	6	2004	2018
ATR 72-200	5	1992	2015
ATR 72-500	6	2012	2021
Boeing 737-400	15	1995	2016
Boeing 737-500	15	1992	2008
Boeing 737-800	1	2018	2020	Leased from Smartwings.
Bristol Britannia	2	1962	1969
Douglas DC-3	7	1946	1956
de Havilland DH.50	8	1925	1930
Avia F-VIIb-3m	6	1936	1939
Ford Trimotor	1	1929	1930
Ilyushin Il-12	10	1949	1959
Avia Il-14	32	1957	1977
Ilyushin Il-18	18	1960	1990
Ilyushin Il-62	9	1969	1995
Ilyushin Il-62M	6	1969	1995
Junkers Ju 352	1	Unknown	Unknown
Junkers Ju 52	5	1946	1948
Let L-200 Morava	20	1958	1969
Let L-410 Turbolet	12	1976	1981
Let L-410M Turbolet	12	1976	1981
Lisunov Li-2	8	1949	1957
Saab 340B	3	2008	2010
Saro Cloud	1	1935	1938
Savoia-Marchetti S.73	6	1937	1940
Tupolev Tu-104A	6	1957	1973
Tupolev Tu-124	3	1964	1972
Tupolev Tu-134A	14	1971	1997
Tupolev Tu-154M	7	1988	1999
Yakovlev Yak-40	5	1974	1992

Accidents and incidents

Aviation accidents are rare, but they can happen. Here are some incidents involving ČSA flights:

Fatal accidents

On August 12, 1930, a ČSA Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor crashed near Jihlava in bad weather, killing 12 of 13 people on board.
On August 13, 1938, a ČSA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 hit a mountain near Oberkirch while landing, killing all 17 people on board.
On March 5, 1946, a ČSA Junkers Ju 52/3m crashed near Prague after trying to land twice, killing 10 of 15 people.
On February 13, 1947, a ČSA Douglas C-47A crashed after taking off from Ruzyne Airport during a training flight, killing all three people on board.
On December 21, 1948, ČSA Flight 584 (a Douglas C-47A) crashed into a hillside in Greece in bad weather, killing all 24 people.
On February 27, 1950, a ČSA Douglas C-47A crashed into Praded Mountain, killing six of 25 people.
On January 12, 1954, a ČSA Douglas C-47A crashed near Prague after almost failing to take off, killing all 13 people.
On January 18, 1956, a ČSA Douglas C-47A crashed into Mount Skapova after strong winds blew it off course, killing 22 of 26 people.
On November 24, 1956, a ČSA Ilyushin Il-12 crashed into a field in Switzerland, killing all 23 people.
On January 2, 1961, a ČSA Avia 14 crashed during a training flight in Prague after not gaining enough height, killing all 10 people.
On March 28, 1961, ČSA Flight 511 (an Ilyushin Il-18V) crashed in Germany due to a structural problem, killing all 52 people.
On July 12, 1961, ČSA Flight 511 (an Ilyushin Il-18V) crashed near Anfa Airport, killing all 72 people.
On October 10, 1962, ČSA Flight 306 (an Avia 14) crashed near Slavkov while landing, killing 13 of 42 people.
On September 5, 1967, ČSA Flight 523, an Ilyushin Il-18D, crashed after taking off from Gander International Airport, killing 37 of 69 people. The cause was never found.
On October 11, 1968, a ČSA Avia 14-32A crashed near Ptice shortly after taking off from Prague, killing 11 of 40 people.
On June 1, 1970, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-104A crashed after two attempts to land at Tripoli International Airport, killing all 13 people.
On August 20, 1975, ČSA Flight 540, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed during a night landing in Syria due to a misunderstanding with the control tower, killing 126 of 128 people. This was Syria's worst air disaster.
On July 28, 1976, ČSA Flight 001, an Ilyushin Il-18V, crashed into a lake while trying to land in Bratislava. All 6 crew members and 70 of 73 passengers died.
On February 11, 1977, a ČSA Avia 14T crashed near Ivanka Airport due to crew error, killing four of five people. This was ČSA's last fatal accident.

Non-fatal accidents

On November 9, 1946, a ČSA Douglas C-47A had to land in a field near Dobrovíz because it ran out of fuel. All 18 people survived.
On December 24, 1946, a ČSA Douglas C-47A was badly damaged after an emergency landing near Paris. All 15 people survived.
On January 25, 1947, a ČSA Douglas C-47A was hit by another plane that crashed while it was parked at Croydon Airport. No one was hurt.
On March 16, 1963, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-104A caught fire while being refueled in India. No one was seriously hurt.
On August 18, 1970, ČSA Flight 744, a Tupolev Tu-124V, landed without its landing gear at Kloten Airport because the crew was busy with other problems. All 20 people survived.
On August 29, 1973, ČSA Flight 531, a Tupolev Tu-104A, slid off the runway while landing at Nicosia Airport. All 70 people survived.
On January 2, 1977, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-134A crashed into another ČSA plane (an Ilyushin Il-18) on the runway at Ruzyne Airport. All 48 people on the Tu-134 survived, and the Il-18 was repaired.
On October 11, 1988, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-134A landed very hard at Ruzyne Airport. No one was hurt, and the plane was later turned into a restaurant.
On June 9, 2012, a Czech Airlines ATR 42-500 was destroyed in a hangar explosion and fire at Ruzyne International Airport. Another plane was also damaged.

Hijackings

On April 6, 1948, a ČSA Douglas DC-3 was taken to Neubiberg Air Base, Germany, by 20 people who wanted to leave Czechoslovakia.
On March 24, 1950, three Douglas DC-3s from Czechoslovakia were taken over at the same time. All three planes landed at a US Air Force Base in Erding, West Germany. 26 of 85 passengers chose to stay in West Germany.
On March 23, 1952, a ČSA Douglas C-47 was taken over by four people who wanted to go to Germany. The plane landed safely in Frankfurt with no injuries.