Letu zdar!
The Airbus A319-100 sporting the registration OK-MEL and Manufacturer Serial Number MSN 3094 was delivered in April 2007 to the Czech flag carrier Czech Airlines (CSA for short) - a member of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance since 2001 - where it was christened Vysocina. Vysocina is one of the Czech Republic’s 14 regions and lies on the border between Bohemia and Moravia. It is known for its undulating hills, dense forests and three UNESCO world heritage sites.
Our Airbus A319 with 144 seats and a single-class configuration flew to Moscow, Riga, Düsseldorf as well as London to name just a few destinations. In 2015, the plane took to the skies over India and Southeast Asia for three months for the Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet before returning to Czech Airlines on 22 September 2015. CSA was founded on 29 July 1923 as the state airline of Czechoslovakia, making it the world’s fifth-oldest airline still in operation. In February 2019, the A319 was given its special "SK Slavia Prague" livery, the red and white logo of the Czech capital Prague’s tradition-steeped football club adorning the outer skin of the fuselage.
In 2019, the German airline Lufthansa leased our OK-MEL, using the Airbus for just shy of four months. The Airbus A319-100 was to fly for a total of almost 14 years and was removed from service in March 2020, waiting until December at Cotswold Airport to be recycled. On 26 February 2021, the oldest Czech airline filed for bankruptcy, though the plan is for operations to continue with the current fleet consisting of an Airbus A319-100 and an Airbus A320-200.
We are proud to now be adding another European flag carrier to our fleet, Czech Airlines!
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