Founded in 1923 as Czechoslovak State Airlines, the airline spent much of the 20th century under Soviet influence and flew mostly Soviet-made craft. It switched to more modern, Western-made planes in the 1990s, but was brought down by the 2008 financial crisis, competition from budget operators, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it folded, Czech Airlines was the fifth-oldest airline in the world – after KLM, Avianca, Qantas and Aeroflot.

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