- published: 15 Sep 2015
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Czech Airlines j.s.c. (Czech: České aerolinie, a.s.), trading as Czech Airlines, is the national airline of the Czech Republic, and the temporary flag carrier of Slovakia,[citation needed] with its head office on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport 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 services to 69 destinations in 41 countries, including most major European cities and cities in the Middle East and Asia.[citation needed] It also operates charter and cargo services. 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. It is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. The company never paid dividends, after losing a record CZK 3.8 billion in 2009 the state had to subscribe new shares with nominal value CZK 2.5 billion. In 2011 ČSA carried 4.2 million passengers.