Category Archives: Austrian Airlines

Strikes weigh on Lufthansa Group’s earnings in the first quarter – outlook for summer remains positive

  • Group revenue increases by 5 percent to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarterย 
  • Number of passengers rises to 24 million in the first quarterย 
  • Adjusted EBIT in the first quarter at -849 million eurosย 
  • Strikes impact earnings by around 350 million euros in the first quarterย 
  • Unit costs excluding strike impact below previous yearย 
  • Summer with record number of holiday destinations and 16 percent more bookings than last yearย 
  • Adjusted EBIT of around 2.2 billion euros expected for the full year of 2024

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:

“We are now leaving the first quarter behind us, which was mainly impacted by strikes, and are at a turning point. We have reached long-term wage agreements for the majority of our employees. This means planning certainty and clarity for the coming years. We are still seeing strong demand, which is even significantly higher than last year for the summer. We are therefore continuing to expand our offering and are growing on long-haul routes in particular. Our planes remain well filled throughout. One thing is already clear: it will be another very strong summer. I am particularly pleased that we are continuing to see a positive trend not only among leisure but also business travelers. We are now devoting all our energy to further expanding our premium customer offers and ensuring punctual and reliable flight operations.”

Results for the first quarter of 2024

The Group increased its revenue by five percent year-on-year to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarter of 2024 (previous year: 7.0 billion euros). The Lufthansa Group recorded an operating loss (Adjusted EBIT) of 849 million euros (previous year: -273 million euros). Strikes, both by various employee groups within the Group and by employees of our system partners, had a negative impact of around 350 million euros on earnings. In addition, Lufthansa Cargo’s result declined now that the logistics industry has returned to normal after the pandemic-related exceptional economic situation. The Adjusted EBIT margin fell to -11.5 percent (previous year: -3.9 percent). The Group result fell to -734 million euros (previous year: -467 million euros).

Passenger numbers and traffic development

Demand for air travel continued to rise in the first quarter of the current year. A total of 24 million passengers flew with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year (Q1 2023: 22 million). The Group airlines expanded their seat capacity by 12 percent year-on-year despite the strike-related flight cancellations. Compared to the pre-Crisis year 2019, this was 84 percent, around 5 percentage points lower than originally planned. Despite the significant increase in capacity, the load factor remained consistently high due to high demand. The passenger load factor amounted to 79.7 percent and was thus at the previous year’s level.

Strikes have a significant negative impact on Passenger Airlines’ earnings

The Lufthansa Group Passenger Airlines’ revenue rose by seven percent to 
5.6 billion euros in the first quarter (previous year: 5.2 billion euros). They recorded an Adjusted EBIT of -918 million euros (previous year: -512 million euros). Strikes had an impact of around 300 million euros on earnings in this segment.

Yields fell by 2.5 percent compared to the previous year, partly due to the strike-related uncertainty on the customer side and the corresponding lack of high-priced last-minute bookings. Unit revenues (RASK) were 6.3 percent down on the previous year, also influenced by lower cargo revenues and significantly higher compensation payments to passengers due to the strike.

Unit costs (CASK) rose by 2.9 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year due to the strike. Adjusted for the strike effects, however, they were 1.8 percent below the previous year despite higher expenses for fees, MRO and personnel.

Due to the high losses in the core brand Lufthansa in the first quarter (Adjusted EBIT -640 million euros), Lufthansa Airlines has initiated measures to strengthen the result this year in the short term. Among other steps, it is planned to reduce operating costs, stop new projects and assess the need for additional staff in administrative areas.

Lufthansa Technik benefits from more air traffic

Demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services as well as other Lufthansa Technik products increased in the first quarter of 2024 due to the positive trend in air travel. Revenue increased accordingly by 15 percent year-on-year to 1.8 billion euros (previous year: 1.5 billion euros). Adjusted EBIT fell by 14 percent to 116 million euros (previous year: 135 million euros), impacted by strike-related work stoppages. Excluding this effect, which had a negative impact on earnings of around 25 million euros, earnings were up on the previous year.

In the logistics business, capacity rose by seven percent due to the expansion of air traffic and revenue tonne-kilometres also increased by ten percent. Yields were around 25 percent lower than in the same quarter of the previous year, in which the result was significantly boosted by high demand due to supply chain disruptions and the shortage of capacity as a result of the pandemic. Lufthansa Cargo thus achieved an Adjusted EBIT of -22 million euros (previous year: 151 million euros). Excluding the strike effects of 25 million euros, the quarterly result was slightly positive.

Positive Adjusted free cash flow further reduces net debt

Due to the continued high level of incoming bookings, operating cash flow amounted to around 1.3 billion euros despite the negative operating result. At 940 million euros, net investments were around ten percent below the previous year, meaning that Adjusted free cash flow amounted to 305 million euros (previous year: 482 million euros).

The Group further strengthened its balance sheet in the first quarter of 2024. Net debt decreased to 5.5 billion euros compared to the end of 2023 (December 31, 2023: 5.7 billion euros) due to the positive free cash flow. Net pension obligations fell to 2.4 billion euros due to a higher discount rate (December 31, 2023: 2.7 billion euros). At the end of March 2023, the company had liquidity totaling 10.8 billion euros (December 31, 2023: 10.5 billion euros) at its disposal. Following an upgrade by Moody’s in the first quarter, the Lufthansa Group is now the only European network airline to be consistently rated investment grade again by all four agencies in the market.

Remco Steenbergen, Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:

“We cannot be satisfied with the operating result for the first quarter; at more than 350 million euros, the various strikes had a significant impact on our result. Nevertheless, cash flow was positive due to the continuing high demand for air travel. We were also able to further strengthen our balance sheet. In the coming months, we will work intensively to compensate for the effects of rising costs. We have taken additional measures to this end, particularly at Lufthansa Airlines, which is significantly affected by rising personnel expenses and fees. I therefore remain convinced that we will be able to achieve stable unit cost development for the year as a whole without taking the strikes in the first quarter into account.”

Bookings for summer 16 percent up on previous year

Global demand for air travel remains strong, particularly from private travelers. The company expects another very good summer of travel. Never before have so many holiday destinations been served by Lufthansa Group airlines as this year. The most popular summer destinations in 2024 are once again Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece and, for long-haul travel, the USA, Japan and Southern Africa. This year, many holidaymakers will once again be able to afford a ticket in one of the premium classes. In addition to the very good demand in the private travel segment, the trend in the business travel segment is also positive. This applies in particular to long-haul flights. The Lufthansa Group is continuously expanding its offering here. In addition to the traditionally strong North American routes, demand from business travelers on the India and Japan routes in particular is growing this year.

Overall, bookings for the summer timetable (April to October) are 16 percent up on the previous year.

Guests can now also enjoy Lufthansa Allegris, the new travel experience on long-haul routes. Allegris will start regular scheduled service on May 1. The first Airbus A350-900 equipped with Allegris will fly from Munich to Vancouver on the Canadian West Coast. The second destination is Toronto, which will be served alternately with Vancouver on selected flights in the first few months. With further A350s delivered, the Allegris cabin will also be used on flights to Chicago and Montreal in the summer.

Financial outlook

The Lufthansa Group plans to increase available capacity in the second quarter to around 92 percent of the pre-crisis level. The increase will therefore be lower than originally planned due to further investments in operational stability and delayed aircraft deliveries. The company expects a year-on-year decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range, partly because customers were reluctant to make short-term bookings for April and, to a lesser extent, May during the wage disputes that have now been resolved. Unit costs (CASK) are expected to increase in the low single-digit percentage range in the second quarter. Adjusted EBIT in the second quarter will therefore still be below that of the previous year. In line with the lower capacity in the first two quarters, the Lufthansa Group now expects to achieve a capacity level of around 92 percent of the pre-crisis figure for 2019 (previously: 94 percent) for the full year 2024.

In the third quarter, capacity is to be increased further to over 95 percent of the pre-crisis level. Based on incoming bookings, the Group airlines expect unit revenues (RASK) in the third quarter to be higher than in the previous year. 

In the second half of the year, the Group’s operating result is expected to be higher than in the previous year. As already communicated on April 15, Adjusted EBIT for the full year is now expected to be around 2.2 billion euros (previously: stable earnings development compared to 2.7 billion euros in the previous year). For the Passenger Airlines, a decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range and an increase in unit costs (CASK), also in the low single-digit percentage range, are expected for the full year. Excluding the effects of the strikes in the first quarter, unit costs (CASK) are expected to remain stable. Adjusted free cash flow is expected to be at least 1 billion euros (previously: at least 1.5 billion euros).

Further information 

Further information on the results of individual business units will be published in the report on the first quarter of 2024. This will be published at the same time as this press release on April 30, 2024 at 07:00 CEST at www.lufthansagroup.com/investor-relations. 

The traffic figures for the first quarter of 2024 will also be published at 07:00 CEST athttps://investor-relations.lufthansagroup.com/en/publications/traffic-figures.html . 

     Jan – Mar
2024		 Jan – Mar
2023		 Change
in %		 
Revenue and result         
Total revenue โ‚ฌm 7,392 7,017 5 
of which traffic revenue โ‚ฌm 5,903 5,708 3 
Adjusted EBIT โ‚ฌm -849 -273 -211 
Adjusted EBIT margin % -11.5 -3.9 -7.6 P. 
EBIT โ‚ฌm -871 -304 -187 
Net profit/loss โ‚ฌm -734 -467 -57 
Earnings per share โ‚ฌ -0,61 -0,39 -56 
Key balance sheet and cash flow statement figures         
Total assets โ‚ฌm 47,358 44,904 5 
Cash flow from operating activities โ‚ฌm 1,311 1,581 -17 
Net capital expenditures โ‚ฌm 940 1,040 -10 
Adjusted free cash flow โ‚ฌm 305 482 -37 
Employees         
Employees as of 31 March number 98,739 112,392 -12 
 

Austrian Airlines to introduce the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on May 17

Austrian Airlines is planning to introduce the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner into revenue service on May 17.

Austrian is acquiring 11 787-9s through 2028.

Initially the new type will be introduced on two short-range European routes as a way of the crews getting used to the new airliner.

Vienna-Frankfurt and Vienna-Berlin will be the first two routes before the 787 is introduced on transAtlantic routes in June.

OE-LPM was handed over to the carrier on March 26, 2024.

The new 787s will replace the older 767-300 and 777-200 models.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Austrian Airlines returns to Los Angeles

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

With the resumption of flights to Los Angeles, Austrian Airlines offers an additional destination in North America: Initially, the red-white-red flag carrier offers five weekly flights to L.A. Starting in July, six weekly connections with Austrian Airlines largest aircraft, a Boeing 777-200, will link Vienna with the City of Angels.

The inaugural flight with the flight number OS 081 took off on May 20 from Vienna International Airport. Passengers of this flight have already experienced a special Hollywood-feeling prior departure. Hollywoodโ€™s crรจme de la crรจme, Sandra Bullock, Marilyn Monroe and Arnold Schwarzenegger, awaited the guests in the recently newly opened Pier East. Wax figures from Madam Tussauds were popular motives for selfies and caused camera flashes all over the Los Angeles gate. In addition, all passengers were looked after with typical American donuts.

Austrian Airlines will fly to Los Angeles during the summer time table until mid-October. The flight time from Vienna to Los Angeles, which is at a distance of 9.900km, is 12:30 hours. Recently, the red white red flag carrier operated flights to Californiaโ€™s largest city in summer 2019.

Flights in detail:
routeย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  ย ย ย flight numberย ย ย flight daysย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย departure โ€“ arrival (local time)
Vienna โ€“ Los Angelesย ย ย ย ย ย OS 081ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Mo, Tue, We*, Thu, Fr, Saย ย  09:55 โ€“ 13:25
Los Angeles โ€“ Viennaย ย ย ย ย ย OS 082ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Mo, Tue, We*, Thu, Fr, Saย ย  15:15 โ€“ 11:50 (on the next day)

*We: additional sixth connection between the beginning of July and the end of September

Over 30 weekly flights to the USA

โ€œThe time of hitting the ground running has come. After two years of Covid-related restrictions, we are taking-off again into a very well booked summer with an extended European route network, as well as attractive oversea-connections with increased frequenciesโ€, says Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl. On the intercontinental level, Austrian Airlinesโ€™ focus lies on the American market, which plays also an important role for the Austrian and Viennese tourism. Besides six weekly frequencies between Vienna and Los Angeles during the summer peak, daily flights to and from Chicago and Washington will be offered. Furthermore, daily flights to Newark and JFK airport in New York โ€“ namely in the morning and evening โ€“ will be operated. Thereby Austrian Airlines offers more than 30 weekly connections between Vienna and the USA.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

After another crisis year record bookings pave the runway for Austrian Airlines towards summer

Austrian Airlines issued this financial report:

Finance Results

โ€ข Annual result 2021: Adjusted EBIT at EUR -264 million
โ€ข Passenger growth of 61 percent compared to 2020
โ€ข EUR 60 of EUR 300 million of the crisis loan already repaid
โ€ข High booking numbers pave the way for summer 2022
โ€ข CCO Michael Trestl: “More than 500,000 bookings within 14 days prove that people want to travel again.”
โ€ข COO Francesco Sciortino: โ€œIn the past two years we have shown resilience and flown Austrian Airlines with great flexibility through a crisis full of turbulence. Together we can also master other challenges!โ€

“We are the Austrian flag carrier, it is our mission to connect people and economies, even in difficult times. This is why we are all the more concerned about the situation in Ukraine, which is causing extreme suffering and uncertainty for the entire world,” says Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl. “Our thoughts are with all the people affected by the war and our local colleagues, whom we support as best we can,” says Austrian Airlines COO Francesco Sciortino.

2021 was another year marked by crisis
In 2021, waves of openings and closures and the emergence of new virus variants caused another year of crisis in aviation. Austrian Airlines closed the past year with a loss of EUR -264 million (Adjusted EBIT), a plus (+17%) compared to 2020 (EUR -319 million), but still a negative development compared to 2019 (Adjusted EBIT: EUR 19 million). Even if the number of passengers (5.0 million) seasonally developed very positively last year (61%, 2020: 3.1 million), they only accounted for around a third of the number of passengers compared to 2019 (14.7 million) due to numerous travel restrictions and renewed lockdowns.

โ€œLockdowns, travel restrictions and new virus variants are reflected in our annual results: we have to close 2021 with yet another minus,โ€ says Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl and continues: โ€œHowever, over 500,000 bookings within 14 days are a record since the outbreak of the pandemic and prove that people want to travel again.โ€ After another year full of restructuring measures and adjustments to the new travel normality, the current bookings give reason for confidence in our flight operations. โ€œIn the past two years we have shown resilience and have flown Austrian Airlines with great flexibility through a crisis full of turbulence. Together we can also master other challenges!โ€ says Austrian Airlines COO and Crisis Team Leader Francesco Sciortino.

The annual result in detail
In 2021, revenue at Austrian Airlines increased by 62 percent to EUR 743 million (2020: EUR 460 million, 2019: EUR 2,108 million). Total operating revenue increased by 15 percent to EUR 774 million (2020: EUR 672 million, including EUR 150 million emergency aid, 2019: EUR 2,181 million). In the same period, total operating expenses increased by 5 percent to EUR 1,038 million (2020: EUR 991 million, 2019: EUR 2,164 million). Despite lower production, the national flag carrierโ€™s liquidity remains well above plan. Compared to 2020, adjusted EBIT, which does not include valuation gains or losses from aircraft sales, improved by 17 percent to EUR -264 million (2020: EUR -319 million, including EUR 150 million in emergency aid, 2019 : 19 million euros).

As of 31 December 2021, Austrian Airlines had 5,793 employees, which is a decrease of around 650 employees or 10 percent compared to 2020 and a decrease of around 1,196 employees or 17 percent compared to 2019. The reduction was due to natural attrition, not filling vacant positions and the expiry of limited term employment contracts.

Air traffic in 2021 only gradually developed towards pre-crisis levels. Last year, Austrian Airlines flew around a third of the passengers (5.0 million) of the pre-crisis year 2019 (14.7 million). However, a comparison with the previous year (3.1 million) shows a positive development with an increase of 61 percent, which is mainly due to seasonal upturns. The available seat kilometers (11.3 billion) show a similar picture with a decrease of 60 percent compared to 2019 (28.5 billion) and an increase of 59 percent compared to 2020 (7.1 billion). The seat load factor in 2021 was at 61.9 percent, consistent to 2020 and 18.9 percentage points lower than 2019 (80.8 percent).

Second half of 2021 with upward trends โ€“ EUR 60 million of the crisis loan already repaid
Austrian Airlinesโ€™ revenue in the second half of the year accounted for around three quarters of total annual revenue in 2021. With an adjusted result of EUR 2 million, the national carrier landed in the black in the third quarter of the year, which was characterized by a strong summer peak. Thanks to a good Christmas season, Austrian Airlinesโ€™ revenue increased by 446 percent to EUR 251 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of the previous year (Q4 2020: EUR 46 million). With the loan repayments totaling EUR 60 million, Austrian Airlines is fulfilling its responsibility towards Austrian taxpayers: in 2021, the airline repaid a fifth of the state-secured bank loan of EUR 300 million.

Booking records pave the way out of the corona crisis
After the announcement of large-scale easings in Europe, Austrian Airlines recorded the highest number of bookings since the beginning of the corona crisis. Over 500,000 flights were booked within only 14 days. The bookings mainly focused on the private travel segment – a continuing trend from last year. Therefore, the Austrian national carrier has optimized this year’s summer flight schedule for tourist travel by increasing its offer to European holiday destinations by around 20 percent compared to 2019. In summer, Austrian Airlinesโ€™ flight program includes 110 destinations with new additions on both short and long-haul routes. โ€œOn top of our attractive tourist network, we continuously strengthen our role as a network airline. By resuming flights to Los Angeles, for example, we want to reinforce our Vienna hub,โ€ says CCO Michael Trestl. However, the increase in bookings is not limited to the summer peak. Currently, there is also high demand for the Easter holidays and spontaneous weekend trips. “We remain flexible, vigilant and stick together,” the CCO concludes.

Lufthansa Group to suspend flights to Kyiv and Odessa

Lufthansa on Monday will suspend its flights to both Kyiv and Odessa in Ukraine until the end of February due to a pending Russian invasion.

Service to Lviv in western Ukraine will continue.

Lufthansa stated it is โ€œconstantly monitoring the situation and will decide on further flights at a later date.โ€

Austrian Airlines has also cancelled flights to both cities until the end of the month.

Swiss is also suspending service to Kyiv starting on Monday.

Flights scheduled departures from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv for Monday:

Flight Time Destination Airline Terminal Gate Status
PQ 7123 00:05 Sharm El Sheikh Sky Up Airlines D D14 Scheduled
PQ 7131 00:15 Sharm El Sheikh Sky Up Airlines D D15 Scheduled
PC 1723 01:55 Ankara Pegasus Airlines D D4 Scheduled
PS 9407 04:35 Riga Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
BT 407 04:35 Riga Air Baltic D Scheduled
7B 331 07:05 Tbilisi Bees Airline D Scheduled
FR 3085 08:45 Vilnius Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 6897 09:05 Katowice Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 3277 09:05 Riga Ryanair D Scheduled
ET 4235 09:10 Istanbul Ethiopian Airlines Corporation D Scheduled
MS 9505 09:10 Istanbul Egypt Air D Scheduled
TK 8811 09:10 Istanbul Turkish Airlines D Scheduled
PS 711 09:10 Istanbul Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PQ 441 09:30 Tbilisi Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
TP 8242 09:40 Munich TAP Portugal D Scheduled
PS 415 09:40 Munich Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
AF 3375 09:45 Paris Air France D Scheduled
PS 775 09:45 Tel Aviv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 127 09:45 Paris Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
KL 3139 09:50 Odesa KLM D Scheduled
PS 55 09:50 Odesa Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
TK 458 09:50 Istanbul Turkish Airlines D Scheduled
TP 8228 09:50 London TAP Portugal D Scheduled
PS 111 09:50 London Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
TP 8238 09:50 Prague TAP Portugal D Scheduled
PS 9558 09:50 Istanbul Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 807 09:50 Prague Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
OK 4917 09:50 Prague CSA Czech Airlines D Scheduled
7W 121 09:50 Odesa Wind Rose D Scheduled
PS 177 09:55 Vilnius Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
BT 7401 09:55 Vilnius Air Baltic D Scheduled
PS 101 10:00 Amsterdam Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9061 10:00 Lviv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
KL 3097 10:00 Amsterdam KLM D Scheduled
TP 8240 10:00 Amsterdam TAP Portugal D Scheduled
7W 161 10:00 Lviv Wind Rose D Scheduled
7W 101 10:10 Dnipro Wind Rose D Scheduled
PQ 491 10:10 Istanbul Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9001 10:10 Dnipro Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9041 10:15 Kharkiv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
7W 141 10:15 Kharkiv Wind Rose D Scheduled
PQ 821 10:15 Beauvais Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
PQ 741 10:20 Barcelona Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
PQ 761 10:40 Madrid Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
PS 311 10:40 Milan Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
TP 8218 10:40 Milan TAP Portugal D Scheduled
FR 976 10:55 Vienna Ryanair D Scheduled
LH 2547 11:25 Munich Lufthansa D Cancelled
J2 9684 11:30 Baku Buta Airways D Scheduled
FR 3199 11:30 Berlin Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 6421 12:10 Madrid Ryanair D Scheduled
RK 3678 12:40 London Ryanair Uk D Scheduled
7W 727 12:45 Belgrade Wind Rose D Scheduled
FR 9193 13:10 Paphos Ryanair D Scheduled
G9 262 13:25 Sharjah Air Arabia D Scheduled
LO 752 13:55 Warsaw LOT Polish Airlines D Scheduled
RK 9228 14:10 Manchester Ryanair Uk D Scheduled
TK 7869 14:25 Ankara Turkish Airlines D Scheduled
FZ 1728 14:25 Dubai Flydubai D Scheduled
FR 2112 14:30 Cologne Ryanair D Scheduled
7B 511 14:45 Alicante Bees Airline D Scheduled
TK 1256 15:05 Istanbul Turkish Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9556 15:05 Istanbul Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
FR 3167 15:10 Warsaw Ryanair D Scheduled
7W 113 15:15 Ivano-Frankivsk Wind Rose D Scheduled
PS 9013 15:15 Ivano-Frankivsk Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9719 15:25 Prague Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
OK 919 15:25 Prague CSA Czech Airlines D Scheduled
7W 103 15:25 Dnipro Wind Rose D Scheduled
PS 9413 15:30 Riga Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
BT 403 15:30 Riga Air Baltic D Scheduled
FR 3138 16:10 Wroclaw Ryanair D Scheduled
PQ 701 16:10 Lisbon Sky Up Airlines D Scheduled
QR 296 16:40 Doha Qatar Airways Company D Scheduled
FR 7849 17:20 Bergamo Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 7853 17:50 Rome Ryanair D Scheduled
FZ 1730 18:25 Dubai Flydubai D Scheduled
LO 754 18:55 Warsaw LOT Polish Airlines D Scheduled
PS 897 19:40 Chisinau Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 777 20:00 Tel Aviv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9085 20:10 Zaporizhzhia Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 611 20:10 Yerevan Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
7W 125 20:10 Odesa Wind Rose D Scheduled
7W 185 20:10 Zaporizhzhia Wind Rose D Scheduled
TP 6751 20:10 Odesa TAP Portugal D Scheduled
FR 2741 20:10 Karlsruhe/Baden Baden Ryanair D Scheduled
PS 53 20:10 Odesa Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
FR 3832 20:15 Venice Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 3832 20:15 Treviso Ryanair D Scheduled
PS 9005 20:20 Dnipro Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
7W 105 20:20 Dnipro Wind Rose D Scheduled
7W 145 20:25 Kharkiv Wind Rose D Scheduled
FR 3069 20:25 Barcelona Ryanair D Scheduled
PS 9045 20:25 Kharkiv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
PS 9065 20:30 Lviv Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
7W 165 20:30 Lviv Wind Rose D Scheduled
PS 9556 20:40 Istanbul Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
TK 460 20:40 Istanbul Turkish Airlines D Scheduled
FR 3826 20:55 Naples Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 3077 21:15 Bratislava Ryanair D Scheduled
PS 9102 21:40 Almaty Ukraine International Airlines D Scheduled
KC 202 21:40 Almaty Air Astana D Scheduled
FR 3175 21:45 Gdansk Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 7263 22:50 Krakow Ryanair D Scheduled
FR 6918 23:20 Warsaw Ryanair D Scheduled

Austrian Airlines to add four new Airbus A320neos as of August 2022

Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-214 OE-LBL (msn 2009) AYT (Ton Jochems). Image: 954985.

Austrian Airlines is taking an important step toward modernizing and renewing its short- and medium-haul fleet. Between August 2022 and spring 2023, four Airbus A320neos will be integrated in Austrian Airlinesโ€™ fleet. The “NEO” (“New Engine Option”) aircraft, will be delivered directly to Austrian Airlines from a Lufthansa order and replace older models in the A320 fleet. Depending on the route, an Airbus A320neo emits up to 3,700 tons of CO2 less per year and compared to the previous model, as they consume up to 20 percent less fuel due to modern engine technology and optimized aerodynamics. The new aircraft make an important contribution to Austrian Airlines’ environmental responsibility, they increase profitability and represent an important long-term investment in the Vienna hub.

Innovative airspace cabin enhances travel comfort

The A320neos will be operated by Austrian Airlines on continental flights and initially on routes to London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. The new aircraft, with a capacity of 180 seats, will significantly enhance travel comfort on short- and medium-haul routes. Thanks to the innovative Airspace Cabin and slimmer side walls, passengers will benefit from more personal space, especially in the shoulder area. The new cabin concept also offers up to 60 percent more capacity for carryon luggage. To enhance passengersโ€™ well-being, the Neos count with a new, flexible lighting system that adapts to the natural biorhythm. Depending on the phase of the flight and the time of day, the cabin and lavatories are bathed in warm reds or cooler shades of blue.

Top Copyright Photo: The new A320neos will supplement the existing A320ceo fleet: Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-214 OE-LBL (msn 2009) AYT (Ton Jochems). Image: 954985.

Austrian Airlines aircraft slide show:

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Other news:

Austrian Airlines returns to Gรถteborg (Gothenburg)

Austrian Airlines is planning to resume service to Gรถteborg Landvetter Airport (Gothenburg) on March 27.

The restored route will be operated three days a week with Embraer 195s.

The Swedavia Airports issued this statement:

Austrian Airlines has paused air traffic to Gรถteborg Landvetter for a few years during the pandemic.ย The carrier is now returning and will relaunch its popular direct route to the Austrian capital.

The service will debut on March 27 when passengers once again can fly directly from Gรถteborg Landvetter to Vienna three times weekly with Austrian Airlines. The airline is part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of Star Alliance. The resumed service will facilitate for travelers from Gothenburg to transfer both domestically in Austria and to central and eastern Europe via Austrian Airlines’ hub at Vienna Airport. In addition to Austrian Airlines, another operator serves the route.

In the years before the outbreak of the pandemic, about 25,000 passengers flew from Gothenburg to Vienna annually and the number of travelers doubled between the cities. The route is in demand from both leisure and business travelers and there is an even distribution between Swedish and Austrian passengers. Both Vienna and Gothenburg are popular weekend destinations and Austrian Airlines’ timetable offers a good connection for a short or long weekend in one of the cities.

Starting on March 27, Austrian Airlines will operateย Gรถteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT) โ€“ย Vienna International Airportย (VIE)ย with three weekly departures on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with an Embraer 195-jet.

Austrian Airlines has a strong focus on sustainability work and on achieving the goals of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, in terms of fuel efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. With the aim of reducing climate-impacting carbon dioxide emissions, the airline offers travellers the opportunity to buy biofuel for all or part of their flight.

Austrian Airlines to relaunch flights to Los Angeles in summer

Austrian Airlines made this announcement:

Austrian Airlinesโ€™ summer flight schedule counts with 110 destinations and 1,300 weekly flights
โ€ข Five non-stop weekly flights to Los Angeles from mid-May
โ€ข Significant expansion of European route network: Valencia and Kavala as new destinations on the Mediterranean coast
โ€ข Capacity increase by 12 aircraft
โ€ข Austrian Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Michael Trestl: “We are continuously increasing our offer to pre-crisis levels.”

Austrian Airlinesโ€™ summer flight schedule 2022 is “ready for take-off”. With 110 destinations and a weekly frequency of 1,300 flights in the summer peak, the Austrian flag carrier is continuously increasing its offer to pre-crisis levels.

Next to new European destinations such as the Spanish and Greek port cities of Valencia and Kavala, another long-haul destination will be added to the program.

From May 20, 2022, Austrian Airlines will fly five times a week to Los Angeles on the US West Coast.


33 weekly flights to the USA

With Chicago, Washington and two airports in New York on the schedule, the red-white-red flag carrier already operates a good route network in the eastern USA. All four airports will be served daily again from spring 2022. With Los Angeles, the West Coast will now also be connected with non-stop flights from Vienna. In total, the flag carrier will offer up to 33 weekly flights to the US in the summer flight schedule. The flight time from Vienna to Los Angeles, about 9,900 kilometers away, is 12 hours and 30 minutes.

The flights in detail:
Routeย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Flight noย ย ย ย ย  Flight daysย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Departure โ€“ Arrival (local times)
Vienna โ€“ Los Angelesย ย  OS 081ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Daily except Wednesday & Sundayย ย ย ย 9:55 a.m. โ€“ 1:25 p.m.
Los Angeles โ€“ Viennaย ย  OS 082ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Daily except Wednesday & Sundayย ย ย  3:15 p.m. โ€“ 11:50 a.m. (next day)

This summer, Austrian Airlines will fly up to 78 times a week to 19 holiday destinations in Greece. In addition to 17 rotations per week to Athens and eleven weekly connections to Heraklion, destinations such as Rhodes with six, Mykonos with three and Zakynthos with five weekly flights will be served. The schedule also includes rotations to Samos and Volos, and from June 14, 2022 Kavala on the Aegean coast will be offered as a new destination, with flights every Tuesday.

Austrian Airlinesโ€™ summer flight schedule also offers a comprehensive range of flights for holidays in Spain: Up to three flights a day to Palma de Mallorca, two flights a day to Barcelona, up to five flights a week to Ibiza with optimized connections at weekends, four flights a week to Malรกga, two flights a week to Gran Canaria and Tenerife and one flight a week to Menorca. From June 4, 2022, Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast will be added to the Austrian route network and will be operated on Tuesdays and Saturdays (bookable from February 1, 2022).

This year, 11 Italian destinations are on the summer flight schedule. These include Catania, Olbia, Cagliari, Lamezia/Therme and city classics such as Rome, Milan and Bologna. Florence will be operated up to two times a day this summer. In total, Austrian Airlines flies to the Italian highlights up to 115 times a week during the summer peak.

Many other destinations will be offered with increased frequency in the summer of 2022. For example, Sofia will be operated up to 24 times a week, Tirana up to 17 times a week and Nice up to 14 times a week. Iceland will be operated up to four times a week from June 4, 2022.

Austrian Airlines starts summer season 2022 with broad destination portfolio

Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-211 OE-LBE (msn 935) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 956145.

Austrian Airlines made this announcement:

Around 90 destinations in the flight program for the Easter break
โ€ข Flight offer will be successively increased until midsummer
โ€ข Almost 110 attractive destinations worldwide will be offered during the summer season with around 1,300 weekly frequencies

Those who are already tired of freezing temperatures, can start planning their 2022 summer holiday with Austrian Airlines as of today, 14 December 2021 with the ramp up of the airlineโ€™s summer flight schedule. “The focus is clearly on tourist destinations. With 110 destinations, 35 of them warm-water destinations in Greece, Spain or Italy, and up to 1,300 weekly flights in peak summer 2022, we will not only significantly expand our flight program compared to 2021, but also provide an attractive holiday offer for our passengers,” says Austrian Airlines Chief Sales Officer Michael Trestl. The premium carrier will fly to the most beautiful places in Europe several times a day in summer and significantly increase its offer. For example, Austrian Airlines will offer several flights a day to Palma de Mallorca, four daily connections to Milan, Stockholm or Amsterdam, two flights a day to Larnaca, Athens or Tel Aviv and up to nine weekly connections to Heraklion.


In addition, popular holiday destinations such as Catania, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Keflavรญk or Mykonos, which were previously part of the airline’s charter program, can be booked as regular Austrian Airlines flights for the 2022 summer season (Palma already for the 2021/22 winter season). “Our passengers will benefit from additional customer advantages. On the one hand, a closer integration with the rest of the Austrian Airlines route network, and on the other hand, customers can now also choose between the booking categories Economy and Business Class on these scheduled routes,” says Michael Trestl.

Up to 1,030 frequencies to holiday destinations in Easter week
For those who are already drawn to the sun in spring, Austrian Airlines offers a comprehensive range of flights to around 90 destinations around Easter until May. In continental Europe only, around 16 warm-water destinations in Spain, Italy, the Canary Islands and the Greek islands are on the flight schedule over Easter. From Vienna, destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Mรกlaga, Catania or Larnaca are served with more than 50 departures per week. Also long-haul routes, such as the popular destinations Cancรบn, Mauritius or the Maldives are ideal for a beach holiday in spring 2022. Austrian Airlines will serve all three destinations until after the Easter holidays.

Top Copyright Photo: Austrian Airlines Airbus A321-211 OE-LBE (msn 935) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 956145.

Austrian Airlines aircraft slide show:

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Austrian Airlines bolsters Cancun service with an additional flight, signs SAF fuel agreement with OMV

Austrian Airlines made this announcement:

Additional weekly flight to the popular destination in the Caribbean starting on January 25, 2022
โ€ข Direct flights from Vienna to Cancun on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
โ€ข Three additional frequencies during Christmas holidays

With the successful launch of its Mexican service, Austrian Airlines will add an additional weekly flight to its direct connection to Cancรบn. Commencing on January 25, 2022, the Austrian flag carrier will fly to the sunny Mexican holiday destination with an additional frequency on Tuesdays, on top of the already existing connections on Thursday and Sunday,

Due to the high demand during the Christmas holidays, Austrian Airlinesโ€™ offer to Cancรบn had already been increased to ten instead of seven round trips between December 19 andย  January. 9 The newest destination in Austrian Airlinesโ€™ route network is served by a Boeing 777-200 offering a total of 306 passengers direct service from Vienna to Mexicoโ€™s Caribbean coast. Being Mexicoโ€™s second largest airport, the connection to Cancรบn also functions as an ideal starting point for onward travel with our partner airlines. When traveling to Cancun, or any Austrian Airlines long haul flight, customers can choose between three cabins of service: Economy, Premium Economy and the spacious Business Class. Return ticket prices from Vienna begin at 570 euros.

In other news, for the first time ever, OMV and Austrian Airlines (AUA) are producing and using regional Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Austria. The two companies agreed on the production and fueling of 1,500 metric tons of SAF in the coming year 2022.

The sustainable fuel is produced at the OMV Schwechat Refinery by co-processing Austrian used cooking oil in the fuel production process. This approach makes the entire production chain as regional as possible and keeps transport routes to a minimum. Compared to conventional kerosene, SAF makes for a CO2 reduction of more than 80% over the entire lifecycle. One technical key advantage of the sustainable aviation fuel is that the existing infrastructure can be used for storage and refueling. With the direct pipeline connection to the Vienna International Airport, SAF will be available for fueling Austrian Airlines aircraft as of March 2022.

The use of 1,500 metric tons of SAF by Austrian Airlines will save around 3,750 metric tons of CO2. This compares to the CO2 emissions of 333 Vienna-London flights with a typical short to medium-haul AUA aircraft (Airbus A320). The additional costs for Sustainable Aviation Fuel are financed with the support of environmentally conscious passengers. All Austrian Airlines customers can use the Compensaid platform to support flights with SAF and thus contribute to more sustainable air traffic.