the runway at Ruzyne Airport with a ČSA Ilyushin Il-18 (OK-NAA) that was taking off; all 48 on board the Tu-134 survived, but it was written off; the Il-18 (all six on board survived) was substantially damaged but was repaired and returned to service, it was retired in 1981 and is now in a museum. On October 11, 1988, a ČSA Tupolev Tu-134A (registration OK-AFB) landed hard at Ruzyne Airport; there were no casualties, but the aircraft was written off and flown to Piešťany where it served as a restaurant. On June 9, 2012, a Czech Airlines ATR 42-500 (registration OK-KFM) was destroyed in a hangar explosion and fire at Ruzyne International Airport. A second ATR 42 (OK-JFK) was also damaged by the fire. Two Czech Airlines Technics employees were working with an explosive liquid. The liquid was sucked into a heavy technic vehicle, which then blew up near the aircraft and caused the fire. Hijackings On April 6, 1948, a ČSA Douglas DC-3 was hijacked to Neubiberg Air Base, Germany by 20 people wishing to escape Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. On March 24, 1950, three Douglas DC-3s from Czechoslovakia were simultaneously hijacked. All three aircraft landed at the US Air Force Base at Erding, West Germany. In all, 26 of 85 passengers chose to stay in West Germany to escape Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. On March 23, 1952, a ČSA Douglas C-47 was hijacked by four people who demanded to be taken to Germany. The aircraft landed safely at Frankfurt with no casualties. References Citations Bibliography External links Airlines of the Czech Republic Airlines of Czechoslovakia Airlines established in 1923 1923 establishments in Czechoslovakia Association of European Airlines members Companies based in Prague Companies of Czechoslovakia Czech brands Government-owned airlines SkyTeam