Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa) has announced Vienna will be the first base for the new Eurowings outside of Germany. The group issued this statement:

The new Eurowings will have its first base outside Germany in Vienna. Following close consultation with Austrian Airlines and at the carrier’s own request, two Airbus A320 aircraft are to be stationed there initially, offering point-to-point connections on European routes. The aircraft are to fly in the colors of the new Eurowings. It is planned to staff the aircraft with crews from Austrian. This partnership is possible as a result of Austrian’s new collective agreement, which was entered into in December 2014 and offers additional prospects to the 900 pilots and 2,300 flight attendants. The agreement also means that employees are making an important contribution to the future viability and competitiveness of Austrian Airlines.

The first Airbus A320 took off on February 1, 2015 (above) in the new Eurowings livery for its maiden flight from Hamburg to Prague, with seating for 162 passengers on board. Further aircraft featuring the new design will follow in the coming weeks.

Photo: Lufthansa. Eurowings’ first A320, the pictured A320-214 D-AIZQ (msn 5497) was transferred from Lufthansa on January 25. Currently Eurowings operates as a Lufthansa Regional carrier.

Lufthansa Regional-Eurowings aircraft slide show: