In November, two Smartwings Boeing 737-800 aircraft were flown to Norwich, UK, to undergo livery changes at a local paint facility. Over the past two years, the airline has updated the livery on eight of its Boeing 737s, including OK-TVG, OK-TVL, OK-TVO, OK-TVT, OK-TVY, OK-TSU, and most recently, OK-TSD and OK-TSE.
Now, only three aircraft remain in the original Travel Service livery. This includes one Boeing 737-800 OK-TVS, currently on a round-the-world journey in French Polynesia with travel agency Leonardo, and two Boeing 737-900ER aircraft (OK-TSI and OK-TSM). The rest of the fleet either entered service directly in Smartwings colors or had their livery updated in prior years.
The Travel Service brand, which once specialized in charter flights, was officially retired at the end of 2018. The Boeing 737-900ER OK-TSM was the last aircraft to be painted in the Travel Service livery back in March 2016. This marks the gradual phasing out of the Travel Service era as Smartwings co...
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- 2024-11-05 21:38
- Changes in routes
The German company Condor will start operations on the Prague – Frankfurt route in May 2025. The carrier primarily targets passengers for whom Frankfurt will only be a transfer airport. Frankfurt Airport is the main hub of the long-haul network of the German carrier and it offers flights to 45 destinations in nineteen countries.
In the last five years, Condor has successfully managed to go through a very turbulent period that began in the fall of 2019. At that time, its then parent company Thomas Cook went bankrupt. Then the pandemic came the following year. The carrier needed to find a new image and renew the aircraft fleet.
The rebranding came in 2022. In the spring of this year, it successfully completed the transformation of its long-haul fleet. The old Boeing 767s were replaced by new Airbus A330-900s. Condor got them very quickly, as some were originally produced for other carriers (mainly Air AsiaX and Garuda Indonesia) who did not take them over. The long-haul fleet now numbe...
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- 2024-10-27 09:41
- Changes in routes
Czech Airlines (ČSA), the world’s fifth-oldest airline, officially ceased commercial operations on Saturday evening. The final flight, OK767 from Paris to Prague, touched down at 10:35 p.m., drawing an emotional farewell from aviation enthusiasts in the Czech Republic and beyond. Moving forward, both Airbus aircraft bearing the Czech Airlines livery will be operated by Smartwings. Czech Airlines will no longer conduct any commercial flights under the ICAO code CSA, IATA code OK, or the CSA (LINES) callsign. Additionally, the airline has withdrawn from the SkyTeam alliance and ended its OK Plus loyalty program.
This month, Czech Airlines also became the sole shareholder of Smartwings, a transition first announced in the spring.
Currently, two Airbus A320s (OK-HEU and OK-IOO) carry the Czech Airlines colors, and they will soon be joined by an Airbus A220-300 with registration OK-EYA next month. ...
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Mongolian airline Eznis Airways has abruptly halted its service between Prague and Ulaanbaatar. The route, which operated twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays using an Airbus A330 with a capacity of 256 passengers, saw its final flight MG 715 to Ulaanbaatar on September 21. Originally, the route was scheduled to continue into the fall.
Prague Airport’s winter schedule is light on long-haul regular routes. The only long-haul connections remaining are China Airlines' flights to Taipei and Korean Air’s service to Seoul. Seasonal routes such as Qanot Sharq’s flights to Tashkent and Delta Air Lines’ connection to New York will conclude.
However, several Asian routes will continue through the winter, including flights to Astana (SCAT Airlines), Doha (Qatar Airways), Dubai (Emirates, flyDubai, and Smartwings), and Baku (Azerbaijan Airlines).
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
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- 2024-10-03 17:00
- Changes in routes
Starting December 1, 2024, Emirates will switch aircraft on its EK139/140 route between Dubai and Prague, replacing the current Boeing 777 with the larger Airbus A380. The airline will offer two travel classes—Economy and Business—while First Class will not be available on this route.
Prague’s airport has previously hosted the Airbus A380 on the Dubai route regularly. In fact, the airport invested in its infrastructure to accommodate the aircraft by renovating Stand 14 at Terminal 1, which now features three jet bridges specifically designed for the A380.
The Dubai-Prague route was launched in July 2010, and from May 2016, it was regularly operated by the Airbus A380. Before the pandemic, Emirates operated two daily flights to Prague, with the midday flight serviced by the A380 and the evening flight by a Boeing 777.
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
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- 2024-09-30 06:18
- Changes in routes
Since March 31, 2024, Korean Air has been regularly operating its Seoul to Prague KE 969/970 route with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, replacing the Boeing 777-300ER. The airline's Dreamliner offers 269 seats across two travel classes. In the summer schedule of 2024, the route is operating four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Throughout September, the airline has made twelve changes to the scheduled aircraft, upgrading to the larger Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, which carries 56 more passengers than the 787-9. Korean Air has been flying the 787-10 since July and currently operates two of them, with Prague being its first European destination.
On Saturday, September 28, the aircraft was upgraded to an even larger Boeing 747-8. The specific aircraft, registered as HL7644, is the last-ever produced passenger Jumbojet, landed in Prague at 16:00. The Boeing 747-8 last visited Prague during a repatriation flight on April 14, 2020. The iconic jumbo is set to fly on the...
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NATO Days 2024 have been cancelled in light of the current floodings in the Czech Republic.
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- 2024-09-11 06:52
- Changes in routes
Prague is set to reconnect with two cities once served by Czech Airlines—Vilnius, Lithuania, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Direct flights to the UAE capital will commence on June 2, 2025, operated by Etihad Airways. The airline will deploy its Boeing 787-9 aircraft to Prague's Václav Havel Airport four times a week (every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday). These direct flights return after an eleven-year hiatus, with Czech Airlines previously operating the Prague-Abu Dhabi route until January 2014.
Air Baltic will launch direct flights from Prague to Vilnius starting on March 30, 2025. The route will run twice a week (on Thursdays and Sundays). The last airline to operate the Vilnius-Prague route was Air Lituanica, from September 2013 to May 2015, with a break between December 2014 and March 2015.
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
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- 2024-09-10 13:02
- Changes in routes
Prague will once again enjoy direct flights to Canada as Air Canada is set to open a new route from Prague to Toronto in the spring of 2025. The service will operate three times a week—every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday—with the inaugural flight scheduled for June 6. The airline will deploy its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner for the AC934/5 route, which will be a seasonal connection running until the end of September.
Prague has lacked direct connections to Canada since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel. Previously, Air Canada Rouge operated flights to Toronto using Boeing 767s, while Air Transat served Montreal with Airbus A330s.
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
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- 2024-09-03 06:39
- Changes in routes
Wizz Air adds flights from London to Poprad. Starting with the winter schedule, Tuesday will be added to the current Thursday and Sunday flights and the route will be flown three times a week. The top frequency was four flights a day in the past.
Wizz Air has been cutting frequencies after 45 Airbus A320neo family aircraft needed to be grounded to fix the Pratt & Whitney engines faults. These planes start returning to the active fleet now, the first of the of the planes parked in Ostrava successfully returned to commercial flights last week.
Another possibility to fly from the Slovakian airport to London is offered by Ryanair. This company continues with two weekly flights to Stansted.
Prepared By: Martin Bernict
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