Czech Airlines to leave the skies forever from October this year

Czech Airlines, historically the country’s flagship carrier and a symbol of its aviation industry for over a century, will end its flying operations next month. On Oct. 26 – almost exactly 100 years after its maiden flight – the airline will officially stop selling its own tickets and will fly its final trip under the current brand; it will be absorbed by the Smartwings group, another Czech airline. 

The decision to discontinue operations results from a combination of external factors, including the aftermath of the U.S. Sept. 11 terror attacks, economic crises, the rise of low-cost airlines, and the Covid-19 pandemic. 

However, the downfall of Czech Airlines can also be attributed to internal conflicts and inexperienced management, which led to poor financial decisions and ultimately, the sale of assets, according to Czech Television.

Under the leadership of businessman Jaroslav Tvrdík during the mid-2000s, the airline purchased expensive new planes and indulged in lavish expenses, only to later sell off its assets. Miroslav Kůla, former President of Czech Airlines, blames Tvrdík's "megalomaniac projects" and "incompetent management" for the airline's demise. 

Tvrdík, who served as the head of the airline 20 years ago, had previously justified the decline as an unavoidable result of external circumstances.

The Czech carrier currently operates just two scheduled routes from Prague Václav Havel Airport – to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (12 times weekly) and Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (four times weekly). Its in-house fleet comprises two A320-200s, although one already operates exclusively for Smartwings, which will take over the rest of the existing fleet.

On Oct. 26, a Czech Airlines plane from Paris will land at Prague Airport, marking the end of an era. The Czech Airlines flight abbreviation "OK" will disappear from tickets, and passengers will now see "QS," indicating Smartwings, on their boarding passes.

The first regular flight took place on Oct. 29, 1923, when Czechoslovak State Airlines had been the official name.

The year 1989 marked a significant turning point for the airline, and in the following decade the airline played a pivotal role in connecting Czechoslovakia and Czechia with the West and rest of the world.

The company began leasing and purchasing Western aircraft around 1989, gradually phasing out all Soviet aircraft by 2000. These Western planes were more modern and had significantly lower fuel consumption. As a result of this transition, Czech Airlines has not had a single accident since the 1990s.