The Smartwings subsidiary CSA registered all 430 employees at the employment office for resignation. Upon request, the authorities confirmed that they had received a corresponding notification from the airline. The carrier did not want to comment on this.

CSA Czech Airlines is not a state airline, but a subsidiary of the private Smartwings Group. However, the carrier has an extremely long tradition and - with interruptions due to the war - has been operating for 98 years. The corona pandemic hit CSA hard and the Smartwings Group repeatedly criticized the government's comparatively low aid.

The registration of the 430 employees in the early warning system of the Employment Office in the Czech Republic is not entirely by chance. In a few days, the government's moratorium on airlines will expire. If there is no extension, creditors can immediately initiate enforcement measures or simply stop their services.

A few days ago the Seizure of two ATR72 caused a sensation by a state maintenance company at Prague Airport. On The court ordered the surrender and also pointed out that the measure is inadmissible precisely because of the moratorium. The carrier is said to have unpaid MRO invoices.

Smartwings refused state participation in CSA

How it will go on with the Skyteam member CSA is completely open. In the local media, Smartwings makes no secret of the fact that the subsidiary's financial position is so strained that without fresh funding, for example from the state, survival is acutely jeopardized. Smartwings as the owner is fighting due to the pandemic, because the charter and holiday flight business, in which it specializes, also collapsed.

But Smartwings does not seem entirely innocent of the situation, because the carrier refused the Czech Republic to participate in CSA last year. In return for aid, the state also wanted shares. That did not suit the private owner, which is why the former flag carrier has so far been supplied by himself. Now there are at least indications that one is no longer able to do this or simply no longer wants to.

CSA was able to benefit from the general moratorium on the aviation industry. However, this expires on February 27, 2021. If the government does not announce a short-term extension, the lights could soon go out at CSA. A clear indication that preparations for the worst-case scenario are in progress is the early registration of the entire workforce at the employment office. However, this could also serve as leverage against the government in order to be able to land short-term bridging aid.