Czech Airlines
Encyclopedia
Czech Airlines j.s.c. trading as Czech Airlines (abbreviation
: ČSA - České státní aerolinie -), is the national airline
of the Czech Republic
and temporary in Slovakia
with its head office on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport in Ruzyně
, Prague
. ČSA was the second airline in the world to initiate successful jet airliner
services (in 1957 using the Tu-104) and simultaneously the first airline to fly regular jet-only routes (between Prague and Moscow). Today, it operates scheduled services to 69 destinations in 41 countries, including most major Europe
an cities and cities in the Middle East
, North Africa
and Asia
. It also operates charter and cargo services. The airline runs a frequent flyer programme called "OK Plus" in reference to the airline's IATA designation, as well as the term of approval
; OK also featured prominently in its previous livery
. It is a member of the SkyTeam
alliance. In 2009 it carried 5.5 million passengers. The company never paid dividend
s, after losing a record CZK 3.8 billion in 2009 the state had to subscribe new shares with nominal value CZK 2.5 billion.
and Bratislava
. It operated only domestic services until its first international flight from Prague to Bratislava and on to Zagreb
in 1930. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 development of the airline was terminated.
In February 1948, the Communist Party used the demission of right and center parties' ministers to take power in Czechoslovakia; later it suspended some western European and Middle Eastern routes, and, also because of the embargo imposed by the West on the western-built aircraft spares etc., gradually replaced much of the fleet with Soviet-built airliners. The venerable Ilyushin Il-14
was even updated and built under licence in Czechoslovakia as the Avia Av-14.
In 1950, CSA became the world's first victim of a triple hijacking. The three Czechoslovak airliners flown to the American air base in Erding, near Munich, stirred the world on both sides of the "burnt through" Iron Curtain and the case intensified the Cold war between East and West overnight. Three Douglas Dakota airliners landed in the morning of 24 March near Munich instead of at Prague. The first one, from Brno, at 08:20, the second one from Moravská Ostrava at 08:40 and the third one from Bratislava at 09:20. Two thirds of the people on board were involuntary passengers who 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. The non returnees who requested political asylum in the American zone of West Germany were, on the other hand, proclaimed criminals and the Prague regime vigorously requested their extradition – although 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 at his head.
In 1957 CSA became the third of the world's airlines to fly jet services, taking delivery/putting in service the first Tupolev Tu-104A
in 1957. CSA was the only airline other than Aeroflot
to operate the Tu-104 which was the world's first successful jet airliner. The service operated by the Tu-104A from 1957 between Prague and Moscow was the first jet-only connection (other airlines used both jets and piston/turboprop aircraft simultaneously). The first transatlantic services started on 3 February 1962 with a flight to Havana
, using a Bristol Britannia
turboprop leased from Cubana de Aviación
. CSA's transatlantic flights were code-shared with Cuba's own services to Prague
, and Cubana's crews provided initial training and assistance in the operation of the Britannias.
From the late 1960s, CSA used a range of Soviet-built aircraft, and modifications of them, for its extensive European and intercontinental services which totalled some 50 international and 15 domestic destinations. The Britannia was replaced with long-range Ilyushin
Il-18D turboprops at this time, and transatlantic routes were established to Montreal
and New York
, besides Havana. Apart from the Il-18D, other aircraft in CSA's fleet included the short range Tupolev
Tu-134, the medium-range tri-jet airliner Tu-154, and the long-range jet airliner Ilyushin Il-62. As was the case in several other countries, the Il-62 was the first long-range jet airliner to be put into operation by CSA (which was also the first foreign customer to buy Il-62s from Russia). The plane has a range of 10,300 km and for some time was operated concurrently with the Il-18D (range = 6,500 km). CSA operated a fleet of 21 Il-62s between 1969 and 1997 including 15 Il-62s and six (later model) Il-62Ms, 15 of which were registered under the OK designation and six being leased from Aeroflot. A CSA-registered Il-62 and three Il-62Ms were used as official Czech government transports between 1974 and 1996. The CSA Il-62 with call sign OK-DBF was lost in an unfortunate accident due to language mis-understanding between the crew and the control tower during a nighttime approach to Damascus in 1975.
After absorbing the "heavier" part of the Slov-air operator and taking its Let L-410A Turbolet turboprop commuters into its fleet in the early 1970s, the ČSA partner Slov-air became the world's first airline whose captain, Ján Mičica, was slain at the controls by a hijacker, the event happening during a hijacking to West Germany. The aircraft involved, OK-ADN is nowadays displayed in the open-air aircraft museum in Martin, Slovakia.
After the breakup
of the Czechoslovak Federation the airline adopted its present name in May 1995. By the late 1990s, most of the Soviet aircraft were either onsold to other airlines or retired (a number were preserved), and replaced with Western ones such as the Boeing 737
and Airbus A310
, A320
, and short-range ATR aircraft. 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).
As of 1 January 2010, the whole non-office ground staff of CSA Czech airlines has been transferred under a subsidiary ČSA Support, now renamed to Czech airlines handling s.r.o.
As of February 2010, ČSA a.s. sold off its Dutyfree shops to another subject.
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.
routes from Prague Airport, including two domestic routes to Ostrava
and Karlovy Vary
, alongside with the feeding routes from Slovak
cities Košice
, Žilina
and Bratislava
. These 32 routes represent about 40% of total flights and just over 30% of total capacity. On 27 other routes, representing around 40% of flights, the airline faces direct competition from one other carrier, while on 7 major European routes (Amsterdam
, Barcelona
, Copenhagen
, Madrid
, Milan
, Paris
and Rome
) the airline faces two or more competitors.
was a fiasco leading to withdrawal of the French airline, subsequently Antonín Jakubše and Miroslav Kůla managed to stabilize the company and gradually enlarge its fleet. In September 2003 Miroslav Kůla was fired. New CEO, ex-minister Jaroslav Tvrdík, agreed with the unions to increase wages by a third and announced "unprecedented" enlargement of the fleet. In 2005 the financial situation sharply deteriorated. Even though sale of two ATR planes improved the operating result 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, profit CZK 2.1 bn from sale of almost all real estate and profit CZK 1.2 bn from sales of planes were not sufficient to offset them. In 2005-2010 ČSA generated operating loss CZK 3.4 bn, without the profit from sale of long term assets the operating loss would be two times higher. The gross margin did not even cover the personnel expenses.
1Different numbers given by Seatguru and Seatmaestro, although there is no official data on airline's website.
At November 2011, the average age of the Czech Airlines fleet is 8.5 years.
service on some flights in addition to free service.
, La Romana in the Dominican Republic, as well as to destinations in Egypt, El Salvador, Tunisia and Greece.
In May 2010, CSA withdrew their last Airbus A310 and Exim Tours signed a new contract with Travel Service Airlines from winter 2010/2011.
Foreign tour operators, as well as sports teams and companies, use Czech Airlines’ charter flights. The share of flights for foreign clients, compared with the total number of Czech Airlines charter flights, is around 40 percent.
Czech Airlines charter flights carried 797,299 passengers last year. These are operated on an ad-hoc basis mostly
Czech Airlines operate chartered flight from Dublin
on behalf of a number of Irish tour operators. An Airbus 321 is based in Dublin between May – October and December – April.
, Prague
. On 30 December 2009 CSA announced that it will sell its head office to the airport for CZK 607 million.
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: ČSA - České státní aerolinie -), is the national airline
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and temporary in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
with its head office on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport in Ruzyně
Ruzyne
Ruzyně is a district of Prague city, part of Prague 6. It has been a part of Prague since 1960.Ruzyně International Airport is located in this district. Czech Airlines has its head office on the grounds of the airport.-Neighbouring districts:...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. ČSA was the second airline in the world to initiate successful jet airliner
Jet airliner
A jet airliner is an airliner that is powered by jet engines. This term is sometimes contracted to jetliner or jet.In contrast to today's relatively fuel-efficient, turbofan-powered air travel, first generation jet airliner travel was noisy and fuel inefficient...
services (in 1957 using the Tu-104) and simultaneously the first airline to fly regular jet-only routes (between Prague and Moscow). Today, it operates scheduled services to 69 destinations in 41 countries, including most major Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an cities and cities in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It also operates charter and cargo services. The airline runs a frequent flyer programme called "OK Plus" in reference to the airline's IATA designation, as well as the term of approval
Okay
"Okay" is a colloquial English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, or acknowledgment. "Okay" has frequently turned up as a loanword in many other languages...
; OK also featured prominently in its previous livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
. It is a member of the SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
alliance. In 2009 it carried 5.5 million passengers. The company never paid dividend
Dividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
s, after losing a record CZK 3.8 billion in 2009 the state had to subscribe new shares with nominal value CZK 2.5 billion.
History
CSA was founded on 6 October 1923, by the Czechoslovak government as CSA Československé Státní Aerolinie (Czechoslovak State Airlines). Twenty-three days later its first transport flight took place, flying between PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. It operated only domestic services until its first international flight from Prague to Bratislava and on to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1930. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 development of the airline was terminated.
In February 1948, the Communist Party used the demission of right and center parties' ministers to take power in Czechoslovakia; later it suspended some western European and Middle Eastern routes, and, also because of the embargo imposed by the West on the western-built aircraft spares etc., gradually replaced much of the fleet with Soviet-built airliners. The venerable Ilyushin Il-14
Il-14
IL-14 can refer to:*Ilyushin Il-14, a Soviet twin-engine aircraft*Interleukin 14, a protein important in immunology*Illinois's 14th congressional district*Illinois Route 14...
was even updated and built under licence in Czechoslovakia as the Avia Av-14.
In 1950, CSA became the world's first victim of a triple hijacking. The three Czechoslovak airliners flown to the American air base in Erding, near Munich, stirred the world on both sides of the "burnt through" Iron Curtain and the case intensified the Cold war between East and West overnight. Three Douglas Dakota airliners landed in the morning of 24 March near Munich instead of at Prague. The first one, from Brno, at 08:20, the second one from Moravská Ostrava at 08:40 and the third one from Bratislava at 09:20. Two thirds of the people on board were involuntary passengers who 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. The non returnees who requested political asylum in the American zone of West Germany were, on the other hand, proclaimed criminals and the Prague regime vigorously requested their extradition – although in vain. The pilot from Brno was Josef Klesnil,
a former Royal Air Force pilot with 311 squadron
No. 311 Squadron RAF
No. 311 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovakian-manned bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.It was first formed at Honington on 29 July 1940, equipped with Wellington I bombers and crewed mostly by escaped Czechslovakian aircrew. It was transferred from Bomber Command to...
, who flew from Brno to Erding with a pistol at his head.
In 1957 CSA became the third of the world's airlines to fly jet services, taking delivery/putting in service the first Tupolev Tu-104A
Tupolev Tu-104
The Tupolev Tu-104 was a twin-engined medium-range turbojet-powered Soviet airliner and the world's first successful jet airliner...
in 1957. CSA was the only airline other than Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
to operate the Tu-104 which was the world's first successful jet airliner. The service operated by the Tu-104A from 1957 between Prague and Moscow was the first jet-only connection (other airlines used both jets and piston/turboprop aircraft simultaneously). The first transatlantic services started on 3 February 1962 with a flight to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, using a Bristol Britannia
Bristol Britannia
The Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the British Empire...
turboprop leased from Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
. CSA's transatlantic flights were code-shared with Cuba's own services to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, and Cubana's crews provided initial training and assistance in the operation of the Britannias.
From the late 1960s, CSA used a range of Soviet-built aircraft, and modifications of them, for its extensive European and intercontinental services which totalled some 50 international and 15 domestic destinations. The Britannia was replaced with long-range Ilyushin
Ilyushin
Open Joint Stock Company «Ilyushin Aviation Complex» , operating as Ilyushin or Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a Russian design bureau and aircraft manufacturer, founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Ilyushin was established under the Soviet Union. Its operations began on January 13, 1933, by...
Il-18D turboprops at this time, and transatlantic routes were established to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, besides Havana. Apart from the Il-18D, other aircraft in CSA's fleet included the short range Tupolev
Tupolev
Tupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Basmanny District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Known officially as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev...
Tu-134, the medium-range tri-jet airliner Tu-154, and the long-range jet airliner Ilyushin Il-62. As was the case in several other countries, the Il-62 was the first long-range jet airliner to be put into operation by CSA (which was also the first foreign customer to buy Il-62s from Russia). The plane has a range of 10,300 km and for some time was operated concurrently with the Il-18D (range = 6,500 km). CSA operated a fleet of 21 Il-62s between 1969 and 1997 including 15 Il-62s and six (later model) Il-62Ms, 15 of which were registered under the OK designation and six being leased from Aeroflot. A CSA-registered Il-62 and three Il-62Ms were used as official Czech government transports between 1974 and 1996. The CSA Il-62 with call sign OK-DBF was lost in an unfortunate accident due to language mis-understanding between the crew and the control tower during a nighttime approach to Damascus in 1975.
After absorbing the "heavier" part of the Slov-air operator and taking its Let L-410A Turbolet turboprop commuters into its fleet in the early 1970s, the ČSA partner Slov-air became the world's first airline whose captain, Ján Mičica, was slain at the controls by a hijacker, the event happening during a hijacking to West Germany. The aircraft involved, OK-ADN is nowadays displayed in the open-air aircraft museum in Martin, Slovakia.
After the breakup
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
of the Czechoslovak Federation the airline adopted its present name in May 1995. By the late 1990s, most of the Soviet aircraft were either onsold to other airlines or retired (a number were preserved), and replaced with Western ones such as the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
and Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
, A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, and short-range ATR aircraft. 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).
As of February 2010, ČSA a.s. sold off its Dutyfree shops to another subject.
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.
Destinations
Czech Airlines operate 32 monopolyMonopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
routes from Prague Airport, including two domestic routes to Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
, alongside with the feeding routes from Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
cities Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, Žilina
Žilina
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh river, and the seat of a...
and Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. These 32 routes represent about 40% of total flights and just over 30% of total capacity. On 27 other routes, representing around 40% of flights, the airline faces direct competition from one other carrier, while on 7 major European routes (Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) the airline faces two or more competitors.
Codeshare agreements
Besides those with fellow SkyTeam member airlines, CSA codeshares with the following (as of November 2011):
|
Finnair Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest... (Oneworld Oneworld Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific... ) Iberia Airlines Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport.... (Oneworld Oneworld Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific... ) Luxair Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, operating as Luxair, is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services.... Malév Hungarian Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22... (Oneworld Oneworld Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific... ) Rossiya (airline) Rossiya Airlines OJSC , operating as Rossiya — Russian Airlines is a secondary national airline with its head office in Saint Petersburg, Russia, resulting from the 2006 merger of the Moscow-based company of the same name and Saint Petersburg-based Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise... Tatarstan Airlines Tatarstan Airlines is an airline based on the grounds of Kazan International Airport in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. It was founded in 1993, and is the regional airline of the Republic of Tatarstan, part of the Russian Federation.-Destinations:... Ural Airlines Ural Airlines is an airline based in Yekaterinburg, Russia, operating scheduled and chartered domestic and international flights out of Koltsovo International Airport... |
Financial results
Since its transformation to a joint stock company in August 1992 ČSA never paid dividends. The sale of a minority share to Air FranceAir France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
was a fiasco leading to withdrawal of the French airline, subsequently Antonín Jakubše and Miroslav Kůla managed to stabilize the company and gradually enlarge its fleet. In September 2003 Miroslav Kůla was fired. New CEO, ex-minister Jaroslav Tvrdík, agreed with the unions to increase wages by a third and announced "unprecedented" enlargement of the fleet. In 2005 the financial situation sharply deteriorated. Even though sale of two ATR planes improved the operating result by CZK 198 million, the operating loss was almost half a billion Czech crowns and the Government of Jiří Paroubek
Jirí Paroubek's Cabinet
The Government of the Czech Republic from April 25, 2005 to September 4, 2006 was formed by coalition of the Czech Social Democratic Party , the Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party and the Freedom Union - Democratic Union...
replaced Jaroslav Tvrdík with Radomír Lašák. The airline generated further operating losses, profit CZK 2.1 bn from sale of almost all real estate and profit CZK 1.2 bn from sales of planes were not sufficient to offset them. In 2005-2010 ČSA generated operating loss CZK 3.4 bn, without the profit from sale of long term assets the operating loss would be two times higher. The gross margin did not even cover the personnel expenses.
| billion CZK | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2005-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 21.5 | 24.0 | 24.0 | 23.2 | 20.4 | 16.9 | 130.0 |
| Cost of sales | (18.3) | (18.6) | (18.7) | (18.7) | (18.1) | (14.3) | (106.7) |
| Gross margin | 3.2 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 23.3 |
| Personnel cost | (4.1) | (4.5) | (4.8) | (4.8) | (4.9) | (3.9) | (27.0) |
| Disposals of LT assets | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 3.5 |
| Other (depreciation etc.) | 0.3 | (1.3) | (0.7) | (0.3) | (1.3) | 0.2 | (3.2) |
| Operating profit | (0.5) | (0.2) | 0.5 | 0.7 | (3.5) | (0.3) | (3.4) |
Fleet
The Czech Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at 5 November 2011):| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
9 | 6 | 14 | 114 | 128 | |
| Airbus A320-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
8 | — | 8 12 |
150 144 |
158 156 |
|
| Airbus A321-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
2 | — | 52 | 154 | 206 | Leased |
| ATR 42-500 | 7 | — | 0 | 46 | 46 | Leased from Air Contractors Air Contractors Air Contractors Limited is a freight airline. It operates scheduled freight services throughout Europe on behalf of major integrators such as FedEx Feeder and DHL Express... OK-JFL painted in SkyTeam SkyTeam SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands... livery |
| Boeing 737-500 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
7 | — | 12 | 90 | 102 | |
| Total | 33 | 6 | ||||
1Different numbers given by Seatguru and Seatmaestro, although there is no official data on airline's website.
At November 2011, the average age of the Czech Airlines fleet is 8.5 years.
In-flight services
Czech Airlines offers buy on boardBuy on board
In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
service on some flights in addition to free service.
Charter flights
In June 2007, CSA signed a contract with Exim Tours, the largest Czech travel agency, extending their contract for another three years. Under the agreement, CSA will continue to provide air travel services to Exim Tours' clients heading to destinations such as Varadero in Cuba, La Isla Margarita in Venezuela, San Andres and Providencia island in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, La Romana in the Dominican Republic, as well as to destinations in Egypt, El Salvador, Tunisia and Greece.
In May 2010, CSA withdrew their last Airbus A310 and Exim Tours signed a new contract with Travel Service Airlines from winter 2010/2011.
Foreign tour operators, as well as sports teams and companies, use Czech Airlines’ charter flights. The share of flights for foreign clients, compared with the total number of Czech Airlines charter flights, is around 40 percent.
Czech Airlines charter flights carried 797,299 passengers last year. These are operated on an ad-hoc basis mostly
Czech Airlines operate chartered flight from Dublin
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
on behalf of a number of Irish tour operators. An Airbus 321 is based in Dublin between May – October and December – April.
Head office
Czech Airlines has its head office, the APC Building, on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport in RuzyněRuzyne
Ruzyně is a district of Prague city, part of Prague 6. It has been a part of Prague since 1960.Ruzyně International Airport is located in this district. Czech Airlines has its head office on the grounds of the airport.-Neighbouring districts:...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. On 30 December 2009 CSA announced that it will sell its head office to the airport for CZK 607 million.