UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 24, 2018. Czech Airlines a.s. (ČSA) that used to operate Yekaterinburg-Prague flights are leaving Yekaterinburg’s Koltsovo Airport in January 2019, Head of the Russian Tourism Industry Union’s Ural division Mikhail Maltsev refers to the airport as officially declaring.

‘Czech Airlines will, in fact, no longer operate any flights to or from Yekaterinburg: Koltsovo Airport has been formally notified of the decision. This is extremely bad news for Yekaterinburg’s travel industry as well as for the city’s overall image. This can also have long-term consequences far beyond the travel sector,’ Maltsev said.

According to Maltsev, the airline management hasn’t offered any comments as to why the decision was made. It is obvious, however, that the decision in question cannot possibly have anything to do with the poor demand for the flights: Prague flights are quite popular and the tickets sell well.

Maltsev pointed out that once Czech Airlines leave the local market, Ural Airlines will be the only air carrier to offer Yekaterinburg-Prague flights six times a week.