Czech Airlines: One of world's oldest airlines to close down after nearly 100 years - and absorbed by Smartwings

Czech Airlines, the flag carrier of the Czech Republic, was once one of the largest airlines in Eastern Europe. However, it has confirmed that operations will close on October 28 and be absorbed by another Czech airline, Smartwings. 

It has struggled in recent years for a number of reasons, including the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the rise of low-cost airlines and the Covid pandemic. There are also reports of internal mismanagement carrying out costly purchases and extravagant spending which has led to the airline’s decline.

Currently, Czech Airlines only operates two routes - to Paris and Madrid from Prague Václav Havel Airport. It has two Airbus A320-200 aircrafts, which will be fully integrated into Smartwings. 

The airline’s final flight will arrive from Paris on October 28. Czech Airlines is the fifth oldest airline in the world, after Dutch KLM (1919), Colombian Avianca (1919), Australian Qantas(1920), and Soviet/Russian Aeroflot (1923). Its first regular flight took place on October 29th, 1923.

In the early years, the airline played a pivotal role in connecting Prague to Bratislava, with other international routes to Paris, Berlin, and Moscow following shortly afterwards.  During World War II, the carrier ceased operations, but resumed services after the war ended. 

By the 1980s, it had become one of the largest airlines in Eastern Europe, and served over 50 destinations. Today, Smartwings is the biggest airline in the Czech Republic, offering regular flights to more than 80 destinations.