People come to Prague airport to cheer last CSA flight

The very last Czech Airlines (CSA) flight bearing the familiar brand OK landed at Prague Airport just before 11 pm on Saturday. The flight was fully-booked by aviation enthusiasts and former CSA employees who gave the pilot a hearty round of applause as the plane hit the tarmac. A crowd of onlookers watched its the arrival from the airport's observation deck. Many were checking flight progress data on their phones and jostling for position to take pictures.

From Sunday, CSA, which is one of the five oldest air carriers in the world, will become just another brand in the portfolio of the Smartwings group. In ticketing systems or on departure boards, flights will be marked with the QS code used by Smartwings. However, the OK brand name and the traditional colours of CSA will remain on the aircrafts that are in operation.

Czech Airlines was founded in 1923 as Czechoslovak State Airlines. In 2013, due to financial difficulties, Korean Air joined CSA, holding 44 percent of shares. In February 2018, Smartwings became the majority owner.