Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian or AUA, is the
flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations.
Histo ...
of Austria and a subsidiary of
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...
, the flag carrier of Germany. The
airline
An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...
is headquartered on the grounds of
Vienna International Airport
Vienna Airport is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, southeast of central Vienna and west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronaut ...
in
Schwechat
Schwechat () is a city southeast of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. The city is home to the Oil refinery, refineries of the Austrian national oil company OMV.
Geography
Schwechat is named after the river S ...
where it also maintains its
hub. As of July 2016, the airline flew to six domestic and more than 120 international year-round and seasonal destinations in 55 countries and is a member of the
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
.
Air Austria and Austrian Airways merged to form the airline in 1957, but its history dates back to the founding of Austrian Airways in 1923. Throughout much of the company's existence, it was a
state-owned
State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...
entity. On 31 March 1958, the airline performed its scheduled service, flying a leased
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
T ...
from Vienna to
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
; it subsequently purchased its own Viscount fleet. On 18 February 1963, Austrian ordered its first
jet-powered airliner, the
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation.
It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
. It subsequently introduced various models and derivatives of the
Douglas DC-9 jetliner; by the end of 1971, Austrian was an all-jet operator. During the 1980s, it introduced the DC-9-80, otherwise known as the
McDonnell Douglas MD-80
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...
, to its fleet. Various airliners produced by
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
,
Boeing
The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...
,
Fokker
Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 19 ...
and other manufacturers were introduced across the 1980s and 1990s.
Throughout the 1990s, the airline sought out new strategic alliances, as well as to expand its presence in the long-haul market, launching new services to China and South Africa. In 2000, Austrian became a member of
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
; a few years prior, it had also joined the
Qualiflyer Group. During the 2000s, the airline expanded through the acquisitions of
Rheintalflug and
Lauda Air and adopted the shortened ''Austrian'' name in 2003. Throughout the 2000s, Austrian sustained several years of losses; during 2008, the airline's then-owner, the Austrian government, was advised to
privatise Austrian via its sale to a foreign company. In 2009, the Lufthansa Group purchased Austrian after receiving approval from the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
following an investigation into the
tendering process.
Following its privatisation, the business restructured, enacting both fleet expansion and cost-saving initiatives; visible changes included route alterations, a new corporate design, and a revised aircraft livery. Following labour disputes over several of the cost-cutting measures, all Austrian Airlines' flights were transferred on 1 July 2012 to its subsidiary,
Tyrolean Airways, which operated under the Austrian name. A new labour agreement led to the transfer of all flights back to Austrian Airlines on 1 April 2015, and the merger of Tyrolean Airways into its parent company. During the late 2010s, restructuring of both its fleet and route network continued.
History
Early years
On 3 May 1923, Walter Barda-Bardenau received approval from the Austrian government to establish an airline. He participated in the newly formed Austrian Airlines (
German: Österreichische Luftverkehrs
AG) with one percent, with the remaining shares going to the Austrian railway transportation company (50%) and the
Junkers-Werke (49%).
The company's initial fleet consisted of
Junkers F 13s. On 14 May 1923, the first flight performed by the fledging airline was conducted between Vienna and Munich, piloted by Hans Baur.
The landing occurred in
Jedlesee, followed by a conversion to a float and a subsequent flight to Budapest. Junkers Trans European Union was the company operating the flight. Its destinations included Munich, Budapest, Nuremberg, Graz, Klagenfurt, and St. Wolfgang. Seaplanes served targets in Austria. September 1926 saw the dissolution of the union.
From 1927, the company procured new aircraft with support from the government. During the same year, it formed an operating partnership agreement with
Deutsche Luft Hansa. The two companies jointly planned and operated line connections and created a route network to Berlin, Budapest, and Milan. In 1932, Luft Hansa Junkers held a 49% interest in the company. Following its recovery from the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the firm expanded its fleet by adding several Junkers Ju 52/3 m. The firm's rapid growth throughout the 1930s led to it becoming the fourth-largest airline in Europe at one point.
In 1938, the company began planning routes to Rome, Paris, and London, using a fleet of
Junkers Ju 90 aircraft. Following the
annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in March 1938, these plans were promptly abandoned. From 1 January 1939, the airline was fully under the control of Lufthansa. Lufthansa deleted the company from the commercial register in June 1939.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Austria was again separated from Germany. While it regained its independence due to the
Austrian State Treaty of 1955, the newly reconstituted nation initially lacked a national airline.
In 1955, two distinct companies, Air Austria and Austrian Airways, swiftly emerged to address this unoccupied market.
On 4 April 1957, Austrian Airlines was formed under the corporate name ''Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG'' through the merger of Air Austria and Austrian Airways.
On 30 September 1957, the new entity commenced operations, performing its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
on 31 March 1958 when a leased
Vickers Viscount 779 took off from
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
for a scheduled service to
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
During early 1960, six new-build Viscount 837s were delivered to Austrian Airlines; unlike earlier aircraft, which had been leased, these were owned by the company and quickly displaced the former.
Operations expanded quickly, opting to launch domestic services for the first time on 1 May 1963. Within ten years of operations, Austrian Airlines' financial situation had improved considerably; its
share capital
A corporation's share capital, commonly referred to as capital stock in the United States, is the portion of a corporation's equity that has been derived by the issue of shares in the corporation to a shareholder, usually for cash. ''Share ...
had reportedly increased from an initial ATS 60 million to reach ATS 290 million in 1957.
Jet era
During its first decade of operation, Austrian Airlines experienced competition from
Adria Airways; passengers from the Austrian provinces of Styria and Carinthia were routinely commuting to neighbouring
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
to use airports in what is now
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. On 18 February 1963, Austrian Airlines ordered its first jet airliner, the
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation.
It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
, which operated in an 80-seat configuration.
During 1969, the airline broke new ground with the launch of its first long-distance route to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
(early flights were made in co-operation with
Belgian Sabena with a layover in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
).
However, the operations ceased on 31 March 1971 due to low traffic.
The Caravelle formed a core part of Austrian Airlines' fleet until 1973. Deliveries of the American-built jetliner, the
Douglas DC-9, commenced in 1971.
Starting in 1971, Austrian Airlines opted to standardise its fleet. By the end of that year, the firm had permanently withdrawn all Viscounts, leaving it with an all-jet fleet.
Austrian Airlines centred its new fleet around a core of nine DC-9-32s, which it would operate for short- and medium-haul flights for many years. Austrian Airlines introduced the first of five DC-9-51s, an improved model, into service during 1975.
On 13 October 1977, Austrian became the first customer for the
DC-9-80, placing an initial order for eight.
On 26 October 1980, the first MD-81, which was capable of longer-range flights than earlier models, made its first commercial flight with the airline, flying from Vienna to Zürich.
During 1984, Austrian became the first customer for the MD-87 and played an influential role in its development. The first MD-87 entered service at the end of 1987, as did the MD-83 from 1990, while six of the airline's MD-81s were upgraded to MD-82 standards. On 26 March 1989, Austrian Airlines inaugurated its first regular long-haul route, to
New York-JFK, using an
Airbus A310-300
The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie GIE, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers.
Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wid ...
(OE-LAA), aptly named “New York”.
In 1988, Austrian Airlines underwent an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
on the
Vienna Stock Exchange, although the majority of shares in the company remained held by the Austrian government at this time.
Developments from 1990 to 2008
Throughout the 1990s, many airlines focused on cooperation and alliances. Swissair founded
Qualiflyer, which Austrian joined early. This was also a period of quick expansion in the long-haul market, launching new flight paths to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. During the late 1990s, Austrian Airlines developed an appetite for acquisitions; during March 1997, it bought a 35 per cent stake in
Lauda Air while an 85.7 per cent shareholding in
Tyrolean Airways was acquired in December of that year.
Two years later, the airline wholly acquired Tyrolean Airways, making it a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
. In 1999, Austrian Airlines launched the ability for customers to book flights via the Internet.
On 26 March 2000, Austrian became a member of
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
.
During January 2001, it acquired a majority of the shares in Lauda Air; one month later, the airline also bought all of the shares in
Rheintalflug.
Austrian Airlines' operating name was shortened to ''Austrian'' in September 2003; it also renamed its three constituent carriers during this rebranding.
Austrian and Lauda Air merged their flight operations departments into a single unit on 1 October 2004, leaving Lauda Air solely as a brand name for charter flights. It had 6,394 employees.
In March 2004, it launched its ''Focus East'' plan, expanding the airline's destinations across Central and Eastern Europe to 38; as a consequence, the Austrian Airlines Group became a market leader within this region.
Austrian Airlines adopted a stringent cost-saving policy in October 2006, eliminating over 500 jobs in 2007. Austrian Airlines cancelled several long-haul destinations, including Sydney via Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne via Singapore, Kathmandu, and Shanghai. Tyrolean Airways received the three remaining Fokker 70s. The decision also included abandoning the long-haul
Airbus
Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
es, which included four
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-haul, long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus.
In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the Airbus A300, A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 qu ...
s and four
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus.
Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...
s, in favour of standardising the fleet with
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...
s and
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified ...
s. Austrian Airlines removed complimentary in-flight meals and alcoholic drinks on short-haul services, introducing a "Self Select Bistro Service", except on flights from London and any flights above 100 minutes in duration. Head office moved from Oberlaa in Vienna's
Favoriten district to
Vienna International Airport
Vienna Airport is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, southeast of central Vienna and west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronaut ...
in 2007, whereas headquarters remained in Vienna.
Following a modest profit of €3.3 million in 2007, the financial guidance for 2008 underwent several negative changes, culminating in an expected loss of €475 million by the end of November.
Takeover by Lufthansa
In June 2008,
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, doing business as Merrill, and previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investm ...
advised the Austrian government to sell the airline to a foreign company. Interest was shown by
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...
,
Air France–KLM,
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines (formerly known as Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines) is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in the capital, Amman. The airline operates scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at ...
,
Air China
Air China, officially Air China Limited, ( zh, s=中国国际航空公司, labels=no, ''Zhōngguó guójì hángkōng gōngsī'') is a major Chinese airline and the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China. It is headquartered in Shunyi ...
,
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları''), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (including cargo) in Europe, Asia, Oce ...
,
Aeroflot
PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...
,
S7 Airlines, and
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...
. Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and S7 emerged as potential bidders.
On 13 November 2008, state holding
ÖIAG announced that Lufthansa was selected. The German company was to enter Austrian Airlines' capital with a 41.6% share, for which it would pay €366,268.75. AUA CEO Alfred Ötsch and OIAG chairman Peter Michaelis were heavily criticised for revealing to Lufthansa that it had to take over the €500 million debt only when the deal had been made binding. Michaelis refused a new tendering procedure but was made a scapegoat with his shareholder rights removed, and Ötsch resigned on 29 January 2013.
The European Commission began an investigation into the acquisition on 1 July 2009, suspecting a fraudulent tendering process that had already determined everything in favour of Lufthansa. Finally, following approval from the European Commission, Lufthansa purchased Austrian Airlines during September 2009. Shares in Austrian Airlines AG were suspended on the Vienna Stock Exchange on 4 February 2010. After a time of uncertainty following the demission of appointed CEO Thierry Antinori, the arrival of Jaan Albrecht as the new CEO in 2011 signalled the beginning of a new era for the airline, with improving passenger numbers and a more strategic position within the Lufthansa framework. The completion of extension works at the Vienna International Airport will give the airline more room for expansion. In January 2012, the airline implemented a new strategy that included the addition of 11 new aircraft in the next three years, resulting in a long-term fleet renewal, with Airbus planes serving medium-haul routes and Boeings serving long-haul routes.
Despite eliminating 2,500 jobs, the company was still losing money in December 2011, prompting the revelation of a new cost-saving plan. Lufthansa refused to provide financial support. Austrians once again called for recapitalisation in March 2012. Lufthansa approved a capital increase of €140 million to address the structural deficiencies.
The Lauda Air subsidiary was merged into Austrian Airlines on 1 July 2012.
Operational transition to Tyrolean from 2012
Tyrolean Airways, a subsidiary, took over AUA operations on 30 April 2012 after negotiations over cost-cutting measures failed. Tyrolean operated all Austrian flights after this date. However, 110 pilots and 250 flight personnel chose not to go to Tyrolean but to leave the group.
In April 2013, Austrian Airlines retired its final
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the t ...
, a 737-800 variant in Lauda Air markings, as part of its fleet consolidation exercise.
The airline's 11 Boeing 737s were replaced by seven Airbus A320s; it was reportedly expected to achieve annual saving of €17 million through the move to a single type.
Austrian announced its return to profitability in March 2014, marking its first profit in six years. This same year, management intensified efforts to end a long-running labour dispute.
Merger of Austrian and Tyrolean in 2015
Austrian Airlines announced in October 2014 that it would reintegrate Tyrolean's flight operations and staff by 31 March 2015.
The recent negotiation of a new labour agreement led to this move.
Ahead of this merger, Austrian announced an overhauled concept, initially called "my Austrian", on 26 March 2015; it included a new corporate design, a revised aircraft livery, and several new routes. However, in January 2016, Austrian Airlines announced it would revise its new branding introduced in spring 2015 by dropping the word "my" in front of Austrian; this new feature had been severely criticised.
In June 2015, Austrian Airlines announced the purchase of 17
Embraer 195s from within the Lufthansa Group. These Embraer aircraft, which had been owned by
Lufthansa CityLine
Lufthansa CityLine Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH is a German regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Munich Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and maintains hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich ...
, replaced the ageing
Fokker 70s and
100s.
By August 2016, the fleet had received eight of the 17 Embraer aircraft and nine of the 23 Fokker aircraft. By late July 2017, all of the remaining Fokker 70s had been phased out; the Fokker 100s followed by the end of the year.
That same year, Austrian began offering Internet on board its short-haul and medium-haul flights for the first time.
60th anniversary in 2018
In 2018, to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Austrian Airlines launched a new brand identity including new logo, new livery, new font and more.
The new identity was jointly designed by the airline and the Viennese branding agency Brainds using the Portada font to make the brand “more modern and fit for the digital future”. The new brand identity was honored with the
Red Dot Award
The Red Dot Design Award is an international, annual design competition for Product design, product and industrial design, Communication design, brand and communication design as well as design concepts, in which the Red Dot quality label is awar ...
in 2019.
Due to increasing competition from
low-cost carriers at its Vienna base and the need to streamline operations to avoid financial losses, the airline announced restructuring its fleet and network in 2019. By March 2021, Airbus A320s replaced all
Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft, shutting down all crew bases outside Vienna and moving all routes not passing through Vienna airport to either Lufthansa or
Eurowings.
[airliners.de - "Austrian rebuilds fleet and schedule"](_blank)
(German) 18 January 2019 In January 2020, Austrian announced the further retirement of three of its six
Boeing 767-300ER.
[aerotelegraph.com](_blank)
5 January 2021
Developments since the COVID-19 pandemic
From 18 March to 15 June 2020, Austrian Airlines officially suspended all the regularly scheduled flights as the
global air traffic collapsed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
With regular operations suspended, the airline carried out several repatriation flights to carry home Austrians stranded abroad, as well as freight flights to carry medical supplies. Such flights were launched to
Abuja
Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
,
Bali
Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
,
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, and
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. In the summer of 2020, the airline received €600 million in financial aid from Lufthansa and the
Austrian government to help it weather the pandemic; in return, Austrian Airlines committed to, among others, reducing emissions in Austria by 50% by 2030. Overall, the airline ended 2020 flying 3.1 million passengers, a 79% drop from the prior year.
Austrian Airlines announced in September 2021 that it will terminate all its remaining scheduled services originating from Austrian airports outside of Vienna. These will be either cancelled or transferred to sister company
Eurowings.
[aviation.direct](_blank)
(German) 28 September 2021
In the autumn of 2022, Austrian announced an order of four new
Airbus A320neo
The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus.
The A320neo family (''neo'' being Greek for "new", as well as an acronym for "new engine option") is based on the Airbus A3 ...
. In October of the same year, Austrian welcomed the first of the four new Airbus A320neo into the fleet, with the remaining three slated for gradual introduction until spring 2023. Austrian further announced in April 2023 that they will replace their current long-haul fleet of 3 Boeing 767-300ER and 6 Boeing 777-200ER with 10
Boeing 787-9
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After dropping its unconventional Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the ...
from early 2024 to 2028. Five of these jets will be transferred from
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...
, and the other five will be delivered to Austrian from the existing Lufthansa Group order.
[aerotelegraph.com - "Austrian Airlines to receive 10 Boeing 787-9"]
(German) 19 April 2023 In early 2024, Austrian confirmed that the airline will now receive overall 11 Boeing 787-9s, of which two pre-owned by
Bamboo Airways will be delivered by March 2024
with a start of scheduled operations planned for summer 2024.
[
In the fall of 2023, Austrian was ordered by an Austrian court to stop advertising flights carried out with SAF as "CO2 neutral".
In January 2025, Austrian announced it would retire its three remaining Boeing 767-300ER in the same year, with the last scheduled route being Vienna-Washington D. C., by 31 December 2025.][aerotelegraph.com - "Washington to be last 767 destination for Austrian"](_blank)
8 January 2025
Corporate affairs
Business trends
Austrian Airlines published full detailed accounts in their annual reports until 2008. Since Lufthansa took over, they only publish summary information, usually through press releases. Figures for years ending 31 December are:
Ownership and subsidiaries
Austrian Airlines Group is wholly owned by Österreichisches Luftverkehrs Holding (ÖLH), which consists of Österreichische Luftverkehrs Privatstiftung (ÖLP), owned by ÖBB and Vienna International Airport
Vienna Airport is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, southeast of central Vienna and west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronaut ...
among other shareholders, which holds 50.2% of the shares, and Österreichische Luftverkehrs-Beteiligungs-GmbH, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, which owns the remaining shares. Austrian owns shares in 24 companies, including:
* Austrian Technik Bratislava, a maintenance company located at Bratislava Airport equipped for overhauls on Fokker and Embraer regional jets, Airbus A220 and the Airbus A320 family.
* Gulet-Touropa-Touristik
* AVS-Versicherungen
* TUI Austria
* Traviaustria
* AirPlus Kreditkarteninstitut
* Lauda Air (former)
* Wiener Börse AG
* SCA Schedule Coordination Austria
* Slovak Airlines (former)
* ACS AirContainerService GmbH
* Avicon Aviation Consult GmbH
* Austrian Lufthansa Cargo GmbH
* Austrian Airlines Tele Sales & Service GmbH
myAustrian Holidays
Austrian myHoliday replaced Lauda Air as Austrian Airlines' holiday brand in April 2013 and was renamed into myAustrian Holidays in mid-2015. It operates seasonal charter flights at its own risk and in co-operation with tour operators, as well as exclusive ad hoc charter flights. Austrian Airlines aircraft and crew operate all charter flights. A Do & Co board service is served on all flights. Seasonal holiday flights in 2017–18 were offered to 40 destinations in ten countries.
Livery
Citing the colours of the national flag of Austria, Austrian Airlines' colour scheme has always been a pattern of red, white, and red. Aircraft bellies were silver from the 1950s to 1980s; the upper part was white with the Austrian Airlines arrow and the text "Austrian Airlines" (until 1972, again from 1995 to 2003) or "Austrian" (1972–1995, from 2003 onwards). Austrian Airlines' slogan was "the friendly airline" at the time. The 2015 rebranding replaced the livery's blue belly and engine painting with white and red.
The Austrian Airlines' arrow ("Austrian Chevron") has seen several design modifications over the years. When created in 1960, it was redolent in the shape of a flying bird; the design became more formal in 1972. In 1995, a rebranding exercise placed the "Chevron" on the red-white-red tail fin. Since 2003, the new corporate design has reintroduced the old "Chevron" shape in a more modern style, incorporating a drop shadow underneath.
Several special colour schemes have been used throughout the decades. Since joining Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
, a few aeroplanes have flown with Star Alliance markings. For the Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
year in 2006, an Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first membe ...
was decorated in a Mozart design, and an Airbus A340-300 was coated with an ''hommage'' to the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...
. The Tyrol advertisement gave a Boeing 737-600 a glacier look. Aeroplanes featured three designs to commemorate Euro 2008. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary by adorning an Airbus A320 with retro liveries. Austrian's slogan is "the charming way to fly".
Destinations
Route development
In 2006, Austrian decided to retire its A330 and A340 fleet, which consisted of four Airbus A330-200s, two Airbus A340-200s, and two Airbus A340-300s. These aircraft were sold to TAP Air Portugal
TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its airline hub, hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2, ...
, the French Air Force, and Swiss International Air Lines respectively. As a result of having less long-haul capacity, Austrian Airlines suspended some of its long-haul flights to East Asia. Flights to Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
(resumed 2016), Phuket
Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
, Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
, Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
(resumed in 2014), Malé
Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...
(resumed 2018), and Kathmandu
Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
ended in 2007.
In March 2007, the Kangaroo Route ended with the termination of both Australia routes—Melbourne via Singapore and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur. Austrian was the last European-based airline offering direct flights from Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
to Europe. It started with Lauda aircraft and later used Austrian Airlines aircraft. Austrian Airlines temporarily restarted the Vienna to Sydney route in March 2020 as part of their repatriation flights to retrieve people stranded in other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight from Vienna to Sydney was direct, whereas the return trip stopped in Penang, Malaysia, for refuelling and to take on extra cargo. Using a Boeing 777, the non-stop flight covered a distance of over and lasted almost 18 hours, making it the longest flight in the history of Austrian Airlines.
Austrian was one of the few airlines to fly to post-war Iraq when it began flights to Erbil
Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate.
Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
in December 2006.
New flights to Mumbai began in November 2010, and Austrian resumed flights to Baghdad on 8 June 2011. On 13 January 2013, Austrian Airlines suspended flights to Tehran due to a lack of demand. Austrian Airlines resumed flights to Chicago on 17 May 2013 and launched Newark in 2014. Austrian Airlines started service to Mauritius at the beginning of the 2015 winter schedule. The expansion of the intercontinental network seems to indicate improving results for Austrian, with Lufthansa placing its confidence in the airline. Austrian Airlines began service to Mauritius and Miami in October 2015. Austrian Airlines commenced service to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on 10 April 2017, covering a distance of over 9,877 kilometers or 6,137 miles; the flight takes about 12 hours and 30 minutes, using Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. Austrian Airlines announced it would commence service (four times a week) to Shiraz
Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
which began on 2 July 2017, with a stopover in Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
using Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first membe ...
aircraft.
Codeshare agreements
Austrian Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:
* airBaltic
airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia. Its head office are located on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its main airline hub, hub is Riga, and it o ...
* Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...
* Air China
Air China, officially Air China Limited, ( zh, s=中国国际航空公司, labels=no, ''Zhōngguó guójì hángkōng gōngsī'') is a major Chinese airline and the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China. It is headquartered in Shunyi ...
* Air France
Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
* Air India
Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...
* All Nippon Airways
(ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...
* Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines Inc. ( ) is a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul.[Home]
." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved 13 September 2 ...
* Azerbaijan Airlines
* Bangkok Airways
Bangkok Airways plc () is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Maldives, and Singapore. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai cap ...
* Belavia
* Brussels Airlines
* Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, or simply Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main airline hub, hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have schedule ...
* Croatia Airlines
Croatia Airlines Ltd. is the flag carrier of Croatia. Its headquarters are in the Zagreb neighborhood of Buzin and operates domestic and international services mainly to European destinations. Its main hub is Zagreb International Airport with ...
* Egyptair
* Ethiopian Airlines
* Eurowings
* Georgian Airways
* Iran Air
* ITA Airways
* KM Malta Airlines
* LOT Polish Airlines
* Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...
* Luxair
* Scandinavian Airlines
* SunExpress
* Swiss International Air Lines
* TAP Air Portugal
TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its airline hub, hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2, ...
* TAROM
* Thai Airways International
* Ukraine International Airlines
* United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
Fleet
Current fleet
, Austrian Airlines operates the following aircraft:
Historical fleet
In the past, Austrian Airlines has operated the following aircraft types. Other aircraft types previously operated by the airline included the British Aerospace 146
The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Avro International Aerospace manufa ...
, Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
, Hawker Siddeley HS 748
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (formerly Avro HS 748) is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorptio ...
and Aero Commander (Grand Commander 680FL model).
Services
Austrian operates several lounges at its hub in Vienna. There are three Business, two Senator and two HON-Circle lounges.
Do & Co has handled catering for Austrian Airlines since 2007.
As of 2011, all Austrian planes of the Airbus A320 family are equipped with new seats and a new cabin design. By September 2013, Austrian's entire long-haul-fleet (Boeing 767 and Boeing 777) also got new seats and a new cabin design. It contains full-flat beds with a pneumatics system and aisle access from nearly every seat in Business Class, and new seats with video-on-demand for every passenger in Economy Class.
Incidents and accidents
The following is a list of incidents and accidents involving Austrian Airlines mainline aircraft. It excludes occurrences with subsidiaries, such as Tyrolean Airways or Austrian Air Services.
* On 26 September 1960 at 21:40 local time, an Austrian Airlines Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
T ...
( registered OE-LAF) crashed during approach of Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport (, , Internal code: ШРМ) is one of four international airports that serve the city of Moscow. It is the busiest airport in Russia and the post-Soviet states, as well as the ninth-busiest airport in Euro ...
, killing 26 of the 31 passengers on board, as well as five of the six crew members. The aircraft had been operating Flight 901 from Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
with an intermediate stop at Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. An altimeter malfunction was given as a probable cause for the only fatal accident for the airline to date.
* On 21 February 1970, a bomb explosion occurred in the cargo hold of an Austrian Airlines Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation.
It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
(registered OE-LCU) during a flight from Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
to Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
with 33 passengers and five crew on board, creating a hole in the fuselage. The pilots managed to return the aircraft safely to Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...
. On the same day, another bomb had been planted on Swissair Flight 330, causing it to crash, killing 47 people. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP; ) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation ...
claimed the responsibility for both assaults.
* On 7 January 1997, Austrian Airlines Flight 104 from Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
to Vienna was hijacked by a Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
n man who had forced his way into the cockpit armed with a knife (which was of a size small enough not to be banned from aeroplanes under regulations in force at the time). The pilots obeyed the perpetrator's demands to return to Berlin, so that he could negotiate with the local authorities over the renewal of his visa. Back at Berlin Tegel Airport, the McDonnell Douglas MD-87 was stormed by special police forces, and the hijacker was overpowered.
* On 5 January 2004 at 08:17 local time, an Austrian Airlines Fokker 70 (registered OE-LFO) crash-landed on a snow-covered field near Munich International Airport. The aircraft had been operating Flight 111 from Vienna to Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, with 28 passengers and four crew on board, when its engines failed during landing descent due to icing. The aircraft was severely damaged; however, only three passengers suffered minor injuries.
* On 9 June 2024, Austrian Airlines flight 434, an Airbus A320-200 (registered as OE-LBM), flew into a thunderstorm during its final approach to Schwechat International Airport in Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, from Palma de Mallorca Airport in Spain. The aircraft's front nose cone was torn off by hail
Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...
, and the cockpit windows were smashed. The plane arrived safely in Vienna with no injuries reported among the 179 people on board. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Austrian Airlines Group
Austrian Airlines stock information
(archived)
Sportsclubs of Austrian Airlines
(archived)
Photo of OLAG F13 at Aspern
(archived)
{{Authority control
Airlines established in 1957
Airlines of Austria
Austrian brands
Austrian companies established in 1957
Lufthansa Group
Star Alliance