Czech Airlines
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| CSA Czech Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
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| IATA OK |
ICAO CSA |
Callsign CSA-LINES |
| Founded | 1923 | |
| Hubs | Ruzyně International Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | OK Plus | |
| Member lounge | CSA Crystal Lounge | |
| Alliance | SkyTeam | |
| Fleet size | 50 (+12 orders) | |
| Destinations | 70 | |
| Parent company | Czech Airlines, a. s. | |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Key people | Radomír Lašák (CEO) | |
| Website: www.CzechAirlines.com | ||
CSA Czech Airlines (in Czech: České aerolinie (abbreviation: ČSA)) is the Czech national airline company, and former national carrier of Czechoslovakia based at Ruzyně International Airport, Prague. It operates scheduled services to 120 destinations in 52 countries, including most major European cities and to transit points in North America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa It also operates charter and cargo services[1]. In 2006 it carried over 5 and half million passengers[citation needed]. The airline runs a frequent flyer programme called the "OK Plus Frequent Flyer Programme". It is a member of the SkyTeam alliance.
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CSA was founded on October 6, 1923 by the Czechoslovak government as CSA Československé státní aerolinie. Twenty-three days later its first transport flight took place, flying between Prague and Bratislava. It operated only domestic services until its first international flight from Prague to Bratislava and Zagreb in 1930. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 development of the airline was terminated[1].
In January 1948 the Communist Party seized power in Czechoslovakia, suspended some western European and Middle East routes, and replaced much of the fleet with Soviet-built aircraft. In 1957 CSA became one of the world's first airlines to fly jet services, taking delivery of the first Tupolev TU-104A. The first transatlantic services started on 3 February 1962 with a flight to Havana[1], using a Bristol Britannia jet-prop supplied by Cubana de Aviación. CSA's transatlantic flights were code-shared with Cubana's own services to Prague, and Cubana's crews provided initial training and assistance in the operation of the Britannias.
The Britannia was replaced with Ilyushin IL-62 aircraft in the late 1960s, and transatlantic routes were established to Montreal and New York, besides Havana. Tupolev TU-134, Ilyushin IL-18 and other Soviet-built aircraft were used in CSA's European services. In the 1990s, all Soviet-built aircraft were replaced with Western-built ones, such as the Boeing 737s and A310s, Airbus A320s, and short-range ATR aircraft.[citation needed]
After the breakup of the Czechoslovak Federation the airline adopted its present name in May 1995. CSA became a full member of the SkyTeam alliance on 18 October 2000. The airline is owned by the Czech Ministry of Finance (56.92%), Czech Consolidation Agency (34.59%) and other Czech institutions. It has 5,440 employees (at March 2007).[1]
- Further information: Czech Airlines destinations
The Czech Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2007:[2]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Business/Economy) |
Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 4 | 206 (18/188) | Long haul North America |
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| Airbus A319-100 | 2 (4 orders) |
135 | Short-medium haul | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 8 | 162 (8/154) | Short-medium haul | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | 212 | Short-medium haul Europe and Middle East |
|
| Boeing 737-400 | 10 | 144 (12/132) 162 |
Short-medium haul | To be phased out Selling to: Centralwings |
| Boeing 737-500 | 10 | 108 (12/90) | Short-medium haul | |
| ATR 42-500 | 8 | 46 | Short haul | |
| ATR 72-200 | 4 | 64 | Short haul |
The average age of the CSA fleet is 8.6 years as of February 2007[3].
Czech airlines operates charter flights, especially during the summer period, from Prague, Brno and Ostrava airports. These flights are operated for travel agencies in the Czech republic, such as Exim tours.
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Description | Injuries | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | Uninjured | ||||
| March 28, 1961 | Ilyushin 18V Flight 001 | Nürnberg, Germany | Crashed while on approach[4] | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| July 12, 1961 | Ilyushin 18V OK-PAF | Casablanca-Anfa, Morocco | Bad weather[5] | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August 20, 1975 | Ilyushin 62 OK-DBF | Damascus, Syria | Crashed on approach[6] | 126 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| July 28, 1976 | Ilyushin 18V OK-NAB | Bratislava, Czechoslovakia | Crashed on approach[7] | 77 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| February, 1994 | Airbus A310 Flight 006 | Toronto Pearson International Airport | Overshot runway due to bad weather | 0 | 0 | 56 | 102 |
| May 24, 2007 | Airbus A310, Flight 104 | Various | Andrew Speaker, American passenger infected with Tuberculosis Later quarantined to reduce spread of disease |
0 | 1 | 0 | ? |
| May 29, 2007 | Airbus A320-200 Flight 009 | London Heathrow International Airport | Emergency landing due to loss of full power in engine 1 Landed safely |
0 | 0 | 0 | ? |
- Czech Airlines
- Fleet
- Photos
- Tourist material and brochures in Grek language by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Greece
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Aeroflot • Aeroméxico • Air France • Alitalia • China Southern Airlines • Continental Airlines • Czech Airlines • Delta Air Lines • KLM • Korean Air • Northwest Airlines |
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ABS Jets · Central Connect Airlines · Czech Airlines · Smart Wings · Travel Service |
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