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CSA Czech Airlines a.s. () is the national airline of the Czech Republic. Its head office on the grounds of Václav Havel Airport Prague 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, charter and cargo services.〔Flight International 3 April 2007〕 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, and is the prefix for the Czech Republic on aircraft registrations. It is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. Czech Airlines is the subsidiary of Czech Aeroholding – a group of companies that operate in air transportation and related ground handling services. Other subsidiaries of Czech Aeroholding are Prague Airport – the operator of the international airport Prague/Ruzyne, Czech Airlines Technics providing services in technical maintenance of aircraft and Czech Airlines Handling providing passenger and aircraft handling. == History == CSA was founded on 6 October 1923, by the Czechoslovak government as CSA ''Československé státní aerolinie'' (Czechoslovak State Airlines).〔(CSA Portal/History Section in English ); (CSA Portal/History Section in Czech )〕 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 on to Zagreb in 1930. After the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia in 1939 with the country splitting up into three parts, the airline was terminated. In February 1948, the Communist Party used the dismissal of right and centre 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.〔("Mutiny In The Air Lanes" ), ''Time Magazine,'' Monday Apr 3rd 1950.〕 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).〔Zeman 2003, p. 70〕 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 Cubana's own services to Prague, and Cubana's crews provided initial training and assistance in the operation of the Britannias. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Czech Airlines」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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