October 1923: First ČSA flight takes off from Prague

The first ever flight of Czechoslovak air carrier ČSA took off on October 29, 1923. On board the first ever flight of Czechoslovak State Airlines – which was from Prague to Bratislava – were pilot Karel Brabenec and the editor of the Brno-based daily Lidové noviny Václav König.

Pilot Karel Brabenec (left)|Photo: Czech Airlines

They travelled in an Aero A-14 Brandenburg biplane from Prague’s Kbely Airport. According to the news at the time, crowds of people came to witness the event.

By the end of 1923, ČSA had carried a total of 29 passengers, 10 kilograms of mail and 110 kilograms of cargo. At first, it operated only domestic services, and flights to Košice, Brno, Ostrava, Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary were added to the Bratislava route.

18 photos