Austrian Airlines made this announcement:

On November 12, 2020, Austrian Airlines is starting a further testing phase on flights OS171 (Vienna-Hamburg) and OS172 (Hamburg-Vienna) in order to integrate COVID-19 rapid antigen tests in the travel chain.

The first phase of the project is currently underway and will last until November 8, 2020. In this case, passengers are offered the possibility to undergo the tests on a voluntary basis. In the next step, tests will be obligatory for passengers and the crew on selected flights. This ensures that all persons on board have tested negative for COVID-19. The implementation of the free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests will take place in close cooperation with the Lufthansa Group as well as the respective airports in Vienna and Hamburg. After taking the test, passengers will receive their results within 10-15 minutes, either via SMS or, upon request, also after consulting medically trained staff. The boarding card is only activated if the test result is negative, enabling the passenger to gain entry to the security area and the gate. If the test result is positive, the affected passenger will be taken care of by the airport medical service in order to fully clarify the individual’s medical condition. Further steps will be specified with the responsible health authorities. In this case, the passenger will be able to rebook or cancel his or her Austrian Airlines flight at no cost.

“About 25 percent of the passengers volunteered to have themselves tested in the first testing phase”, explained Austrian Airlines COO Jens Ritter. “Our objective is to make quarantine regulations obsolete in the future on the basis of a sophisticated testing strategy. Mandatory tests are a further step on this path.“ In the medium term, the hope exists that the use of rapid tests will lead to a loosening of the numerous travel restrictions and make travelling easier and possible to plan once again.

“Economy and tourism urgently need more freedom to travel. We therefore need solutions that offer security and can be integrated into the travel process. Rapid antigen testing is a way out of the Covid-19 crisis. The test operation at Vienna Airport works very well and we are pleased that Austrian is now expanding this offer to the Hamburg connection”, stated Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of the airport operating company Flughafen Wien AG.

The COVID-19 rapid antigen test is performed at the testing center at Vienna Airport or Hamburg by expert medical personnel. Vienna International Airport has set up a test center for this purpose in the check-in area of Terminal 3, near counter 370. The tests are carried out by medical staff of the airport. Passengers can take the test before departure without having made an appointment in advance. When departing from Hamburg, it is possible to register online in advance and thus reduce waiting times. Passengers are requested to come to the respective testing center two hours before departure. The test results are checked by the gate personnel during the boarding process. No data is exchanged, noted down or passed on. These flights can only be boarded with negative COVID-19 test results. Alternatively, Austrian Airlines also accept negative PCR test results which are not older than 48 hours at departure. In this case as well, passengers are also requested to report to the testing center.

The pilot phase of the mandatory COVID-19 tests is currently scheduled to last until the end of November 2020. The underlying aim of the pilot project is to optimally integrate the testing procedure in the passengers’ travel process and design it in such a manner as to be as pleasant as possible. The testing program represents a Group-wide pilot project of the Lufthansa Group. It should enable intercontinental mobility and the freedom to travel, also during the coronavirus pandemic, and while maintaining health protection. If the trial runs become well established, the airline may offer the tests on a larger scale and extend them to other routes as well.

Flights with rapid antigen tests are marked accordingly

All flights operated as so-called “COVID-19 Tested Flights” are designated accordingly on the Austrian Airlines website so that they can already be identified as such during the booking process. Moreover, passengers are provided with information before departure via a pre-flight e-mail and check-in invitation. At the present time, the rapid COVID-19 antigen tests do not replace the PCR tests mandated by health authorities. This means that all passengers must continue to adhere to local entry regulations. The obligation to wear masks on board Austrian Airlines flights as well as at airports remains in force, with the exception of children under the age of six and passengers who can present the appropriate medical declaration.

Austrian Airlines issued this statement:

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

Austrian Airlines has commenced the first trials for using rapid Covid-19 antigen tests in close cooperation with Vienna Airport. In the initial phase, all passengers on flight OS 229 to Berlin will have the opportunity to take such a rapid test prior to departure in the period October 23 – November 8, 2020, initially. The tests are free of charge and are carried out on a voluntary basis. For this purpose, Vienna Airport has set up a testing center in the check-in area of Terminal 3. After taking the test, passengers will receive their results within 10-15 minutes, either via SMS or, upon request, after personal inquiry. The boarding card is only activated if the test results are negative, enabling the passenger to gain entry to the security area and gate. If the test results are positive, the affected passenger will be taken care by the airport medical service in order to fully clarify the individual’s medical condition. Further steps will be specified with the responsible health authorities. In this case, the passenger will be able to rebook or cancel his or her Austrian Airlines flight free of charge.

The large number of travel restrictions have made it difficult for airports and airlines to ensure stable flight operations in the past few months. For this reason, in cooperation with Vienna Airport, Austrian Airlines has defined the goal of showing how one can integrate rapid testing into the passenger’s travel chain. The Lufthansa Group is working with partners on processes enabling intercontinental mobility and the freedom to travel, also during the coronavirus pandemic, while maintaining health protection. The findings derived from test operations in Vienna will be integrated into the overall project being implemented by the Lufthansa Group. “We have to dismantle the barriers created by the coronavirus over the past few months, COO Ritter emphasizes. “For the future, our objective is to achieve corresponding loosening of travel restrictions. However, first we aim to show how a targeted testing program can work”, he explains. If the trial runs become well established, the tests could be offered on a larger scale. Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of the airport operating company Flughafen Wien AG, adds: “The entire tourism and travel industry urgently needs future-proof solutions to get out of the crisis. Rapid antigen tests provide a quick result and can be well integrated into the operational process of an air travel. Nationwide use at airports and by airlines within the framework of a Europe-wide uniform testing regime could enable the freedom of travel for passengers, which is important for economy and tourism”.

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

Austrian Airlines will fly to Shanghai again from October 2, 2020. After several postponements of the resumption due to the dynamic market situation, the return to China is now fixed. A Boeing 767-300 will fly from Vienna to Shanghai every Friday. The return flight will take place the following Sunday. Further connections to China are a conceivable option for Austrian Airlines.

The long-haul portfolio of Austrian Airlines is thus expanding to include another destination. In addition to Shanghai, Austria’s home carrier already flies to Chicago, New York and Washington, among others.

Route                       Flight number   Flight day      Departure – Arrival (local times)
Vienna – Shanghai    OS 75              Friday           1:30 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. (next day)
Shanghai – Vienna    OS 76              Sunday         10:10 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Austrian Airlines issued this statement:

Austrian Airlines adds further destinations to its flight schedule. Starting on August 20, Austria’s home carrier will be flying to Erbil again. An aircraft from the Airbus A320 family will take off three times a week between Vienna and the city in northern Iraq. This route is mainly used by transfer passengers changing planes in Vienna, for example from or to the USA.

At the end of the month, Austrian Airlines will also add Cologne to its program as a further destination in Germany. From August 31, the city on the Rhine will be back in the schedule with up to two daily connections.

The resumption of flights to Jordan’s capital Amman is planned for September 3, and the restart to Tel Aviv for September 14.

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

As a result of the coronavirus crisis and the cessation of Austrian Airlines‘ flight operations for a period of close to three months, Austria’s national carrier generated adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) of minus EUR 99 million in the second quarter of 2020, down from positive results of EUR 46 million in the prior-year quarter. Accordingly, the adjusted EBIT for the first half of 2020 equaled minus EUR 235 million. The number of passengers carried by Austrian Airlines fell by 70 percent to around 2 million due to the pandemic.

“The coronavirus crisis has hit the airline sector with full force. Worldwide travel restrictions almost completely brought flight operations to a standstill in the second quarter. Our business is slowly recovering since the resumption of flights on June 15”, explains Austrian Airlines CFO Wolfgang Jani.

Results in detail
With the exception of humanitarian cargo flights, the second quarter consisted of practically only two weeks of minimum operations in June. Whereas in the previous year the airline carried around four million passengers between April and June, this figure was only 53,000 in 2020. Revenue slumped by 94 percent to EUR 35 million. During the same period, total revenues fell by 90 percent to EUR 59 million (Q2 2019: EUR 610 million). Total expenses for the same period amounted to EUR 158 million, a decrease of 72 percent (Q2 2019: EUR 565 million) compared with the same quarter of the previous year. Adjusted EBIT ultimately amounted to EUR -99 million in the second quarter (Q2 2019: EUR 46 million).

In the first half of 2020, sales revenues fell by 67 percent to EUR 322 million (first half of 2019: EUR 973 million). In the same period, operating expenses fell by 44 per cent to EUR 598 million (first half of 2019: EUR 1,064 million). This was counteracted by a package of short-term cost-cutting measures and short-time working for the entire workforce. Adjusted EBIT, which excludes valuation losses on aircraft disposals, among other items, amounted to EUR -235 million (H1 2019: EUR -53 million). EBIT amounted to EUR -299 million.

Current booking development and capacity utilization
The coronavirus crisis and the related travel restrictions which impacted Austrian Airlines through no fault of its own continue to necessitate a large degree of flexibility in planning business operations. Landing bans in effect from July 16-31, 2020 resulted in flight cancellations and cut the passenger load factor from an average of about 70 percent to 60 percent. Nevertheless, Austrian Airlines registered a large number of short-term bookings, enabling the airline to look into the future with optimism.

In particular, holiday destinations are well booked. For example, routes such as Athens, Larnaca and Thessaloniki show an average passenger load factor of about 90 percent. In terms of flight traffic to neighboring countries, the aircraft flying to Germany and Switzerland show an average capacity utilization of between 60 and 70 percent.

“Business trips and tourist travel as well are slowing picking up steam”, Wolfgang Jani adds. “Nevertheless, we only expect a slow ramping up of the aviation industry. The crisis is far from over, and this will be reflected in the performance indicators for the entire year”, CFO Jani concludes.

In other news, Austrian Airlines calls for comprehensive COVID-19 testing to replace general landing and entry bans:

• A comprehensive COVID-19 testing program for travelers from high risk countries should bring back the freedom to travel
• Landing bans recently triggered widespread uncertainty on the part of travelers
• CEO von Hoensbroech: “Whoever is healthy and not infected should be allowed to travel.”

Last Friday the Austrian Federal Government allowed landing bans for flights from 18 countries to expire. These bans did not apply in other EU member states. Nevertheless, the many different travel regulations in the European Union make it more difficult for people to travel freely and for airlines to reliably plan flight schedules. At a press conference, Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech called for comprehensive COVID-19 tests to be carried out on all passengers from high risk countries as a means of alleviating this situation.

“The freedom to travel is an important cornerstone of our modern-day society which should not be curtailed in the long term. Whoever is healthy and not infected should also be allowed to travel”, Austrian Airlines CEO von Hoensbroech stated.

Because of the duration of the coronavirus crisis and the increasing uncertainty on the part of passengers, it makes good sense to introduce health checks on a global basis for people travelling by air. This can only be ensured by carrying out comprehensive COVID-19 tests on travelers from high risk countries. “We are advocating an international solution”, von Hoensbroech emphasizes. “No other means of transport offers as good an opportunity for health checks as the aviation sector. This possibility is exactly what we should leverage in order to facilitate travelling in times of the coronavirus without compromising health protection. This approach is also in the interests of passengers because a further step towards ensuring freedom of travel is also a further step towards returning to normalcy”, he adds. According to Austrian Airlines experts, public authorities and governments are now called upon to collaborate with the airlines in order to introduce safe, practical and cost-effective testing methods and to coordinate them on an international level.

Recently Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr joined other airline CEOs form Europe and the U.S. in a letter sent to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ylva Johansson, EU Home Affairs Commissioner, demanding a U.S.-EU testing program to once again enable airlines to operate transatlantic flights. The testing program should replace entry bans and quarantine regulations. Austrian Airlines CEO von Hoensbroech also supports such a solution. “Good flight connections between the USA and Europe are essential for a strong ethnic and economic interdependence between our continents. For this reason, flight connections should be resumed as quickly as possible – of course by optimally combining the freedom to travel with the protection of people’s health”, Mr. von Hoensbroech concludes.

Finally, Austrian Airlines is adding further holiday destinations to its summer flight schedule. The Greek destinations Kalamata, Preveza, Skiathos and Skiros are back in the flight schedule since the beginning of August. Sardinia, with Cagliari and Olbia, and Sicily, with Catania, are also part of the Austrian Holidays program since August. In addition, Austria’s home carrier is also flying to Ibiza again. All flights take place once a week on Saturdays or Sundays.

From September, Austrian Airlines will also fly to the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife every Saturday. Austria’s home carrier is thus adding ten holiday destinations to its summer program. These and other holiday flights can be booked on the Austrian Holidays website and via travel agencies.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Austrian Airlines aircraft slide show:

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Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

On Wednesday evening, the Austrian federal government announced that the landing bans for flights from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, Egypt, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Serbia as well as Great Britain, Sweden and Ukraine will expire on July 31. This makes it possible to reintroduce these destinations into the flight program of Austrian Airlines. The new entry regulation issued on Monday remains in force. Due to local entry regulations, Austrian Airlines last removed flights to Shanghai and Tel Aviv from its program for the month of August.

Flights to Bucharest, Chicago, Pristina and Sarajevo are to be offered as early as today, July 31. From August 1, the Austrian home carrier will be flying again to Belgrade, Cairo, Kiev, London, Podgorica, Sibiu, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm, Tirana and Varna.

The following frequencies are planned for the month of August:

“We welcome the solution of the Austrian Federal Government, which combines the highest requirements for health protection and freedom of travel. We now intend to quickly expand our route network and re-establish our hub at Vienna Airport to provide our customers with a wide range of connecting flights in a timely manner”, explained Austrian Airlines CCO Andreas Otto.

The new entry regulations at a glance:
• No COVID-19 tests (PCR test) or quarantine measures are required for the entry of passengers from the following European countries: Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Vatican and Cyprus.
• Transfer passengers also do not require a COVID test.
• Austrians, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens as well as persons residing in Austria, who enter from a risk area, must carry a health certificate in German or English (with a negative PCR test, not older than 72 hours at entry) or, if testing was not possible prior to the entry, they are obliged to conduct a PCR test within 48 hours at their own expense. Until the negative test result is available, a self-monitored (home) quarantine must be carried out.
The following countries or areas are considered having an increased risk of Covid-19: Albania, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Egypt, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kosovo, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, Northern Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, USA and Hubei Province (China).
• Third-country nationals are in principle subject to an entry ban, unless they enter from the Schengen area and can present a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours. After entry, these persons must also undergo a 10-day self-monitored (home) quarantine. For this purpose, they must present a confirmation of accommodation, at their own expense.
• There are exceptions for certain groups of third-country nationals. These include those persons who are in a partnership with a person living in Austria. These persons can enter without quarantine and without a COVID test if they provide the appropriate proof.

Austrian Airlines has published the remaining summer flight schedule 2020, which will run until the end of October. By then, Austria’s home carrier will double its offer from the current 20 percent to almost 40 percent compared to the previous year’s schedule, subject to new official restrictions. Starting in August, Austrian Airlines will be flying to Shanghai again – initially once a week. From September onwards, further routes will be added to the flight schedule, which will initially be operated up to once a day. This concerns Chişinău, Dnipro, Iaşi, Klagenfurt, Leipzig, Lviv, Lyon, Nuremberg, Odessa and Yerevan.

In addition to resuming flights, Austrian Airlines is increasing capacity on almost all existing routes from September onwards. This means more flights and larger aircraft. For example, Amsterdam, Brussels, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Paris are on the program from September with up to three daily flights. Athens will be connected up to twice daily instead of once. Due to the constant ramp-up of operations, the offer will increase to over 30 percent in September. By the end of October, almost 40 percent of previous year’s program and over 60 destinations are back in the flight schedule.

“Now that we have published our entire remaining summer flight schedule, we are offering our customers more planning security”, says Austrian Airlines CCO Andreas Otto. “The demand so far makes us confident that we are on the right track with the ramp-up of flight operations.”

Passengers whose flights were cancelled and who do not want to make use of the rebooking options can apply for a refund using the online form on the Austrian Airlines website. Passengers who wish to take their flight at a later date have various rebooking options and can start their rebooked journey up until the end of 2021.

Passengers whose scheduled flights do not take place in the next seven days are requested to refrain from contacting the service hotline in the coming days. This will give the service staff the opportunity to take care of those customers who should depart promptly first.

On the Austrian Airlines website, passengers will find up-to-date information on travel in times of corona, flight schedules, mask requirement, entry or rebooking regulations. The information is updated on an ongoing basis.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Austrian Airlines aircraft slide show:

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=fMrwjF&speed=3&transition=fade&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&transitionSpeed=2