Vienna International Airline and Airport Industry News

Austrian Airlines: Passenger Record, Eight New Destinations and Fleet Concentration in Vienna

The Lufthansa subsidiary registered a record 14.7 million passengers last year. A new promising US route to Boston and seven additional destinations to Rome, Barcelona, Birmingham, Nuremberg. Zadar, Kavala and Samos are on the agenda for 2020.

January 21, 2020

Aircraft Crash: Austrian Airlines Cancels Tehran Flights

Austrian Airlines flights to the Iranian capital are cancelled for the time being. The reason is the unclear security situation in Iranian airspace.

January 10, 2020

Foreign Ministry Advises Against Travelling to Iran

There is currently no official travel warning from the Austrian Foreign Ministry, although it advises against travel that is not absolutely necessary.

January 10, 2020

Austrian Airlines Sacks 10% of Its Workforce

AUA Austrian Airlines is planning drastic job cuts. Of the current 7,000 jobs, one in ten will be cut by the end of 2021. 700 to 800 employees are expected to be affected. EUR 90 million should be saved annually.

November 7, 2019

Austrian Airlines Takes Over Eurowings Flights to Strengthen Vienna Hub

Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines takes over the commercial management of all Eurowings flights from Vienna. Vienna is to be strengthened as a hub. At the same time, Eurowings will strongly expand its presence at Salzburg Airport and increase the number of Airbus A319 aircraft stationed in Salzburg to a total of three.

September 27, 2019

What Does Vienna Have in Common with the New Silk Road?

In order to ensure sustainable development, the cities along the New Silk Road also have to face major infrastructural and social challenges, as well as climate-ecological challenges. More than 1000 participants from more than 178 cities are expected in September in the Vienna International Center for UNIDO's Bridge for Cities Conference as part of the Belt & Road Initiative.

August 12, 2019

Asia's Largest Airline to Fly to Vienna

From 18 June 2019, China's largest airline, China Southern Airlines, will fly three times a week from Guangzhou to Vienna via the capital Ürümqi (Wūlǔmùqí) in Xinjiang, China's most northwestern province. Xinjiang has made international headlines in the last two years due to massive human rights violations. China may have interned more than a million Uighurs, Turkic-speaking Muslims, in an attempt to suppress their desire for greater autonomy.

May 2, 2019

Traffic Development at Vienna Airport on the Upswing

The passenger volume rose by 10.8%, the number of aircraft movements rose significantly and 74 airlines regularly flew to Vienna. New additions included the long-haul destinations Tokyo, Cape Town and Shenzhen, according to the annual financial statements and management report 2018 of Vienna Airport (Flughafen Wien AG).

April 11, 2019

Austrian Airlines Responds to Low-Cost Carriers with Low Fares

Austrian Airlines takes up a stance against low-cost competition at Vienna Airport. On the one hand, flights to Germany, such as Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Berlin, will be increased from April onwards. Paris and Copenhagen are to follow in May. On the other hand, prices are to be reduced.

March 22, 2019

Ryanair's Austrian Subsidiary Laudamotion Renamed to Lauda

The Austrian Ryanair subsidiary, the low-cost airline Laudamotion, has separated from the name "Motion" for marketing reasons and is now called only "Lauda". In addition, the fleet will be expanded and more destinations will be served.

March 22, 2019

Vienna International Airport Permitted to Build Third Runway

The Austrian Administrative Court has rejected objections from citizens' initiatives and residents and confirmed the authorization for the construction of the third runway at Vienna Schwechat Airport (Flughafen Wien Schwechat).

March 21, 2019

Vienna in Airport Ranking only in Midfield

According to a comparative study entitled "Airport Worldwide Rankings 2018" with 141 airports surveyed worldwide, Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien Schwechat) occupies only 49th place.

March 5, 2019

Business Mission and "Future Trip" to Tel Aviv as Part of the State Visit of Van der Bellen

On the occasion of the official state visit of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WKO) is organising an economic mission entitled "Infrastructure" as well as the "Open Innovation for Corporates" future trip to Tel Aviv.

February 4, 2019

Austrian-Israeli Economic Relations - 20% Increase in Exports

On the occasion of the official state visit of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and the accompanying business delegation of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, the issue of the actual state of economic relations has arisen. The Austrian-Israeli foreign trade volume amounted to 568 million euros in 2017, with a trade balance surplus for Austria of 229 million euros. The Chamber of Commerce reports that Austrian exports to Israel increased by 20.3% in 2017. The trend seems to have continued in 2018. More than 600,000 overnight stays by Israeli tourists make Israel one of the top nations in Austrian tourism statistics.

February 4, 2019

Irish Ryanair Acquires Austrian Laudamotion Completely

The Austrian Niki-Airline successor Laudamotion has now been taken over 100% by Ryanair. Ryanair last held three quarters of the shares of Laudamotion. No information was given about the price for the remaining 25 percent.

January 29, 2019

Japan's Largest Airline ANA Expands Service Between Tokyo and Vienna

The Japanese ANA - All Nippon Airways relies on Vienna as its European hub for business flights to Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Poland and is expanding its range of services as a result of the facilitation provided by the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

October 31, 2018

Austrian Airlines - More Women in the Cockpit and Daily Flights to Tokyo

Become one of the few female pilots at Austrian Airlines. A total of 100 fully-trained pilots are currently being sought. As part of its expansion, Lufthansa's subsidiary intends to significantly increase the proportion of women pilots. The airline is also expanding its services to Tokyo, namely six weekly flights from March 2019 and daily flights during the 2019 summer timetable.

October 25, 2018

Canada: New Daily Flight Connection from 2019

From 29 April 2019, Austrian Airlines will be flying daily to Montreal, the second-most populous municipality in Canada. Air Canada will assume flights on the Vienna-Toronto route.

October 22, 2018

Agressive Southern Chinese Airline Launches Shenzhen-Vienna Service

The South Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines is pushing ahead with its expansion into Europe by adding Vienna - Shenzhen as the next non-stop route after Zurich at the end of August. The new twice-weekly flights will take off on October 20th, connecting Vienna with Shenzhen on Thursdays and Saturdays using the airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (see picture).

October 12, 2018

Danube Region Business Forum - Infrastructure and Its Implications on Business in CEE and SEE

The Danube Region is one of the traditionally important markets for Central European regions and companies. However, the infrastructure of this region does not yet meet the requirements of the economy. The 8th Danube Region Business Forum will take place on 9 October 2018 at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in Vienna. The aim of the forum is to ensure that the infrastructural quality and cooperations in the region meet the requirements of the economy.

October 3, 2018

Port of Vienna as International Trimodal Logistics Hub for Water, Rail and Road

Peter Hanke, City Councillor for Economic Affairs, together with Doris Rechberg-Missbichler, Managing Director of Wien Holding, and Fritz Lehr and Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer, Managing Directors of the Port of Vienna, presented the balance sheet of the Port of Vienna for the year 2017. Turnover amounts to 58.1 million euros (+2.3%), earnings before taxes 14.8 million euros (+16.5%).

September 14, 2018

Flight Connection Kuwait-Vienna Carries Arab-Israeli Conflict to Austria

State-owned Kuwait Airways, which will resume operations between Kuwait and Vienna in early June for the summer months, does not carry Israeli citizens. The official reason is a Kuwaiti law from 1964, which bans all companies of the 3.5 million inhabitant oil state from doing business with Israelis.

May 29, 2018

Austrian Airlines Celebrates 60th Birthday

Austrian Airlines Österreichische Luftverkehrs Aktiengesellschaft was founded on 31 March 1958. This week, 2,500 guests celebrated the 60th birthday of the red-white-red airline in the hangar at Vienna Schwechat Airport.

May 25, 2018

Austrian Airlines Flies Once Again to Tokyo

As of today, Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines will again be flying directly to the Japanese capital. Due to changed economic fundamentals, the route, which was closed in autumn 2016, appears to be profitable again.

May 15, 2018

Doppelmayr to Build Cable Liner at London Airport

At London Luton Airport, Doppelmayr is building a cable car almost two kilometers long with a capacity of 2,720 passengers per hour and per route. This makes Luton Airport the second airport project in the UK after Birmingham for Doppelmayr. The Cable Liner is scheduled to go into operation in April 2021. Doppelmayr does not give details of the project turnover.

April 23, 2018

Austrian Airlines: Alexis von Hoensbroech Succeeds Kay Kratky as CEO

Alexis von Hoensbroech is to become the new Chairman of the Executive Board of Austrian Airlines. The current AUA CEO Kay Kratky, whose contract ends in July, is leaving the company.

April 11, 2018

Fire Brigade Equipment Supplier Rosenbauer: Profit Halved in 2017

Despite a record order intake, the profit of the Upper Austrian firefighting equipment supplier Rosenbauer halved in the 2017 financial year. This was partly due to a slump in demand in the Middle East and North Africa, but also to the recently reported irregularities at a German subsidiary, which led to a write-down of EUR 3.5 million.

April 6, 2018

Eurowings also Expands Vienna Connections

With the summer flight schedule 2018 Eurowings, the discount airline subsidiary of Lufthansa, is adding new destinations from Vienna to Corfu, Larnaca, Catania, Chania, Kos, Heraklion and Rhodes.

March 30, 2018 · Sponsored Content

AUA Starts with Summer Flight Schedule 2018: More Flights to Germany, but CEE Remains Core Market

Austrian Airlines offers a flight program with 138 destinations in 55 countries in summer 2018.

March 26, 2018

Ryanair Acquires 75 Percent of LaudaMotion

The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is paying 100 million euros for the share. Ryanair will initially take over 24.9 percent of Laudamotion and intends to increase it to 75 percent, subject to the approval of the EU competition authority. The airline founder will continue to be in charge.

March 20, 2018

Austrian Airlines to Hire 600 New Employees, to Fly to Tokyo and Cape Town

Close to 12.9 million passengers flew with Austria’s national carrier last year, comprising a rise of 12.8 percent compared to the previous year. In 2018 the airline plans the integration of another long-haul aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 jet, in its fleet. It is planned to hire 150 employees just to operate this one new aircraft. In total about 200 pilots, 300 flight attendants and 100 employees in the fields of aircraft maintenance and ground handling will be hired. The additional capacity will enable Austrian Airlines to expand its intercontinental route network to Japan and South Africa.

March 1, 2018

Expansion of Airport City of Vienna International Airport Will Create More than 1,000 New Jobs

Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien AG) reports an improvement in the earnings outlook and projected traffic results for 2018. Net profit for the period before non-controlling interests is up to at least EUR 140 million, passenger growth of over 7% in the group and 5% at Vienna International Airport. The management board will propose to the Annual General Meeting that an increased dividend of EUR 0.68 per share should be distributed. Also, the expansion of the Airport City will create more than 1,000 new jobs. The Flughafen Wien Group, including its strategic foreign investments in Malta and Kosice Airports, anticipates passenger growth of more than 7% in 2018.

February 27, 2018

Record Year 2017: Flughafen Wien Group Handles 30.9 Million Passengers (+6.9%), Surpassing Threshold of 30 Million for the First Time

In spite of developments at Air Berlin and NIKI, 2017 will go down in airport history as a record year. The Flughafen Wien Group reported a passenger volume of over 30 million for the very first time in its history, and Vienna Airport site also exceeded the threshold of 24 million passengers for the first time.

January 16, 2018

FACC Continues to Climb in the Third Quarter 2017/18

Revenues for the first nine months of 2017/18 amount to EUR 564.0 million (comparative period 2016/17: EUR 518.6 million). The increase of 8.8% is attributable to a further significant increase in product sales of 11.4% to EUR 527.8 million.

January 16, 2018

AUA Started Flights to Shanghai, Tokyo Will Be Removed

The initial Austrian Airlines flight to Shanghai took off from Vienna yesterday. AUA will terminate the connection to Tokyo as of September 4 and will rather bet again on Chinese destinations. The economic slowdown of the Japanese economy made the Vienna-Tokyo route unprofitable. Instead AUA starts with five weekly flights to Shanghai on a Boeing 777.

April 7, 2016

Air India to Fly Daily Between Vienna and New Delhi

India's national passenger carrier Air India launched direct non-stop flight operations between Vienna and Delhi, India.

March 31, 2016

Austrian Airlines to Offer Flights to Hong Kong Starting September 5, 2016

AUA Austrian Airlines has signed an agreement with Hong Kong authorities to ad Hong Kong International Airport to its portfolio of long-haul destinations. AUA will fly up to 5 times a week to Hong Kong as of September 5, 2016. The direct link to Vienna will also be the gateway to Eastern Europe for the Hongkongese as well as the South-Chinese business community.

March 9, 2016

EU to Crack Down on Postal Rip-Offs including Austrian Post

The FT reports that Brussels is preparing a regulatory crackdown against rip-off pricing by national postal operators on cross-border parcel deliveries. According to a study, cross-border parcel deliveries are often five times more expensive than identical trips on the domestic market. While the price of a standard 2 kg parcel delivery in Austria with the national postal operator is €4.44, to have that same parcel send to neighbouring Italy would cost €14. Sending the same parcel back from Italy to Austria will rise to €25. In order to connect the common market, the EU wants to develop the potential of e-commerce and to boost cross-border trade. According to the FT, a spokeswoman of the European Commission said that early next year the Commission will “launch measures to enhance price transparency and regulatory oversight” of the European parcel delivery market.

December 22, 2015

Austrian Airlines Returns to Shanghai

The return to Shanghai highlights the continued importance of the Chinese market to Austrian Airlines and the high value attached to its outbound market in particular. Austrian Airlines had already included Shanghai in its flight schedule starting on April 28, 2004. However, flight service was terminated in January 2007 as part of the redimensioning of the airline’s long-haul fleet and the related decommissioning of all its Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul aircraft.

September 10, 2015

Vienna Airport Supervisory Board Extends Management Contracts Until 2021

Listed Vienna airport operator reappoints Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner to the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

June 23, 2015

Germanwings Flight 9525: Captain Tried to Break into Cockpit with Axe, Co-Pilot Hid Illness

The latest reports prove that German Wings captain Patrick Sondenheimer tried to break into locked cockpit door 'with an axe' as plane was descending. German police have been searching the home of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz and his parents. They found a ripped-up sick note showing that he tried to hide his illness from employer German Wings.

March 27, 2015

Germanwings Flight 9525 was a Suicide Mission

According to the latest reports, suicide and mass murder by the co-pilot explains the deaths of 150 people aboard Germanwings flight 9525 from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. There is clear evidence that 27-year-old German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately locked the pilot out of the cockpit and then began with the Airbus A320 a constant, unauthorized and deadly descent. Brice Robin, the public prosecutor from Marseille told a press conference that the first officer had locked the captain out of the cockpit and set the controls of the Airbus for a rapid descent and the eventual crash into the French Alps. The Aviation Safety Network has published a list of aircraft accidents caused by pilot suicide (see below).

March 26, 2015 · Updated: March 26, 2015; 18:30

Analysis: Crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 - Investigation and Latest Responses

Yesterday Germanwings Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, an Airbus A320-200, crashed around 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Nice, in the French Alps. All 144 passengers and six crew members died. People on board by nationality were: Germany 67, Spain 45, Kazakhstan 3, Mexico 3, Argentina 2, Australia 2, Colombia 2, Croatia 2, Japan 2, Morocco 2, Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Israel 1, Netherlands 1, Turkey 1, United Kingdom Several (unconfirmed), and unknown 15. The aircraft had reached its cruising altitude, flight level 380 (approx. 38,000 ft [12,000 m]) at 9:27 GMT. Three minutes later the aircraft began its descent - the purpose of the descent is not currently known. 14 minutes after the initial descent, radar contact with the aircraft was lost. Meanwhile the first cockpit voice recorder was recovered by rescue workers and is being examined by the investigation team. The recorder was damaged in the crash, but was said to be still in a "usable" condition. The search for the flight data recorder was to be a priority when the recovery operation resumed. It is the third-deadliest crash of an Airbus A320, after TAM Airlines Flight 3054 and Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, and the third-deadliest aviation disaster on French soil, after Turkish Airlines Flight 981 and Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308. Unusually, the plane appears not to have deviated from its flight plan during its descent.

March 25, 2015 · Updated: March 26, 2015; 14:30

German Wings Crash: No Austrians or Transit Passengers to Vienna Were Aboard

It is believed that no Austrians or direct transit passengers to Vienna were aboard the crashed Germanwings plane. "None of the passengers from Düsseldorf held connecting flights to Vienna, so we believe this tragedy has not affected any Austrians. However, we do not as yet have a passenger list of those who were on the flight," Lufthansa said.

March 24, 2015 · Updated: March 26, 2015; 10:45

Update: Germanwings Crash - Two Iranian Journalists on Transit to Vienna among Victims

It has been confirmed that two transit passengers to Vienna were aboard the crashed Germanwings plane Flight 9525. Reuters reports that the two Iranian dead are sports journalists who were travelling to watch their national team play Chile in Sankt Pölten tomorrow. The two men had earlier travelled to Barcelona to cover a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

March 25, 2015

German Airliner with 150 People Crashes in Southern France

An Airbus A320 airliner of German low-cost airline Germanwings crashed in the French Alps near Digne carrying 144 passengers and six crew members. "All 150 feared dead" says Fancois Hollande. It is unclear whether Austrian passengers were on board.

March 24, 2015 · Updated: March 24, 2015; 14:45

Flying Ambassador: Fischler Christens AUA Aircraft “Spirit of Alpbach“

The godfather of the christening of an Austrian Airlines turboprop at Innsbruck-Kranebitten Airport was the former EU Commissioner and Austrian Minister of Agriculture Franz Fischler in his capacity as the President of the European Forum Alpbach

January 22, 2015

FACC and Parent AVIC to Shift Manufacturing of Passenger Cabins from Austria to China

During the China trip of Economy Minister Mitterlehner, Foreign Affairs Minister Kurz and Agriculture Minister Rupprechter, FACC AG and parent Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) have re-confirmed their "plans to enter into a strategic partnership relating to the integration of aircraft passenger cabins in China". Over the long run this means, that Austrian know-how and Austrian jobs will be moved and outsourced to China.

October 23, 2014

AUA Sweeps Istanbul from Winter Timetable

AUA could no longer defy Turkish Airlines, because the Turkish airline puts on quality, but has much lower costs. During the winter schedule AUA therefore sweeps flights to Istanbul from its program.

September 16, 2014

Austrian Export Award 2014 for Above-Average Export Commitment

As part of a festive gala evening in Vienna's Museumsquartier, the Austrian Export Prize 2014 has been awarded by the Federal Minister for Science, Research and Economics, Reinhold Mitterlehner, and the President of the Economic Chamber Austria (WKO) Christoph Leitl.

June 26, 2014