Today, 18 April, the first six Gripen were flown to the Czech Republic. The aircraft were flown by three Czech Air Force pilots, two from the Swedish Air Force and one from FMV. The flight from FMV's facility near Linköping to the Czech Gripen's home, Caslav AB, lasted one hour.

The six aircraft will now undergo testing by the Czech Air Force before the official handover ceremony on 26 April 2005. In August 2005, a second batch of eight aircraft will be delivered, completing the Czech order for the lease of 14 JAS 39C/D aircraft until 2015.