Austrian Airlines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Austrian Airlines AG

Founded	3 May 1923; 102 years ago (1923-05-03) (as ÖLAG)
Commenced operations	31 March 1958; 67 years ago (1958-03-31)
Hubs	Vienna Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Miles & More
Alliance	Star Alliance
Fleet size	67
Destinations	121
Parent company	Lufthansa Group
Headquarters	Schwechat, Austria Jurisdiction: Vienna
Key people	Annette Mann (CEO) Michael Trestl (CCO) Francesco Sciortino (CFO)
Revenue	EUR 1.871 mio. (2022)
Operating income	EUR 3 mio. (2022)
Employees	5,659 (as of December 2022)

Austrian Airlines, also known as Austrian or AUA, is the main airline of Austria. It's like the national airline, and it's part of the Lufthansa Group, a big airline family. Austrian Airlines has its main office and its busiest airport hub at Vienna International Airport in Schwechat. In 2016, the airline flew to six places inside Austria and over 120 international spots in 55 countries. It's also a member of the Star Alliance, which is a group of airlines that work together.

The airline was officially started in 1957 when two companies, Air Austria and Austrian Airways, joined together. But its story actually goes back to 1923, when Austrian Airways first began. For a long time, the airline was owned by the Austrian government.

On March 31, 1958, Austrian Airlines made its first official flight. It used a rented Vickers Viscount plane to fly from Vienna to Zürich and London. Later, they bought their own Viscount planes. In 1963, Austrian Airlines ordered its first jet-powered plane, the Sud Aviation Caravelle. Over time, they added many different types of Douglas DC-9 jets. By the end of 1971, Austrian Airlines only flew jet planes.

In the 1980s, they started using the DC-9-80, also known as the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. During the 1980s and 1990s, they added planes from companies like Airbus, Boeing, and Fokker.

In the 1990s, the airline looked for new ways to work with other airlines and wanted to fly to more faraway places. They started new flights to China and South Africa. In 2000, Austrian Airlines joined the Star Alliance. Before that, they had also joined another group called the Qualiflyer Group.

In the 2000s, Austrian Airlines grew by buying other airlines like Rheintalflug and Lauda Air. In 2003, they shortened their name to just Austrian. The airline had some tough years financially in the 2000s. In 2008, the Austrian government, who owned the airline, decided to sell it to a foreign company. In 2009, the Lufthansa Group bought Austrian Airlines after getting approval from the European Commission.

After being bought by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines made many changes. They added more planes and worked to save money. They changed some flight routes, updated their company look, and even changed the paint on their planes. After some disagreements about cost-cutting, all Austrian Airlines flights were moved to their smaller airline, Tyrolean Airways, in 2012. Tyrolean Airways then flew under the Austrian Airlines name. But on April 1, 2015, after a new agreement was made, all flights went back to Austrian Airlines, and Tyrolean Airways became part of the main airline. In the late 2010s, they kept changing their planes and flight routes.

History of Austrian Airlines

How it Started

On May 3, 1923, a man named Walter Barda-Bardenau got permission from the Austrian government to start an airline. This new company was called Austrian Airlines (or Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG in German). Walter Barda-Bardenau owned a small part of it. The rest was owned by an Austrian railway company (50%) and a plane-making company called Junkers (49%).

The first planes the company used were Junkers F 13s. On May 14, 1923, the airline made its very first flight from Vienna to Munich. The company was part of a larger group called Junkers Trans European Union. They flew to cities like Munich, Budapest, Nuremberg, Graz, Klagenfurt, and St. Wolfgang. Some flights within Austria used seaplanes, which can land on water. This group was dissolved in September 1926.

From 1927, the company bought new planes with help from the government. In the same year, they started working with Deutsche Luft Hansa, a German airline. They planned and flew routes together, creating a network that connected Vienna to Berlin, Budapest, and Milan. By 1932, Luft Hansa Junkers owned 49% of the company. After getting through the tough times of the Great Depression, the airline added more planes, like the Junkers Ju 52/3 m. The company grew very fast in the 1930s, becoming one of the biggest airlines in Europe at one point.

In 1938, the company planned new routes to Rome, Paris, and London, using Junkers Ju 90 planes. But after Nazi Germany took over Austria in March 1938, these plans were stopped. From January 1, 1939, Lufthansa fully controlled the airline. In June 1939, the company was officially removed from the business records.

After World War II, Austria became independent again in 1955. At first, there was no national airline. So, in 1955, two new companies, Air Austria and Austrian Airways, were quickly set up. On April 4, 1957, these two companies merged to form Austrian Airlines, officially named Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG. The new airline started flying on September 30, 1957. Its first scheduled flight was on March 31, 1958, when a rented Vickers Viscount 779 flew from Vienna to Zürich and London.

In early 1960, Austrian Airlines received six new Viscount 837 planes that they owned, replacing the rented ones. The airline quickly grew, starting flights within Austria for the first time on May 1, 1963. Within ten years, Austrian Airlines was doing much better financially.

The Jet Age Begins

In its first ten years, Austrian Airlines faced competition from another airline called Adria Airways. People from parts of Austria often went to nearby Yugoslavia to use airports there. On February 18, 1963, Austrian Airlines ordered its first jet plane, the Sud Aviation Caravelle, which could carry 80 passengers. In 1969, the airline made a big step by starting its first long-distance route to New York City in the United States. Early flights were done with Belgian airline Sabena and included a stop in Brussels.

The Caravelle planes were a very important part of Austrian Airlines' fleet until 1973. In 1971, they started getting American-built jet planes called the Douglas DC-9. From 1971, Austrian Airlines decided to use only one type of plane. By the end of that year, all the Viscount planes were gone, and the airline only flew jets. Their new fleet mainly used nine DC-9-32s, which they used for short and medium flights for many years. In 1975, they added the first of five DC-9-51s, which were an improved model.

On October 13, 1977, Austrian Airlines was the first airline to order the DC-9-80, also known as the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. They ordered eight of them. On October 26, 1980, the first MD-81, which could fly longer distances, made its first commercial flight with the airline, from Vienna to Zürich. In 1984, Austrian Airlines was also the first customer for the MD-87 and helped a lot in its development. The first MD-87 started flying at the end of 1987, and the MD-83 followed in 1990. Six of the airline's MD-81s were also updated to MD-82 planes.

In 1988, Austrian Airlines offered shares of its company to the public on the Vienna Stock Exchange. However, the Austrian government still owned most of the shares at that time.

Changes from 1990 to 2008

In the 1990s, many airlines focused on working together and forming alliances. Austrian Airlines was one of the first to join the Qualiflyer Group, which was started by Swissair. This was also a time when Austrian Airlines quickly expanded its long-distance flights, starting new routes to China and South Africa. In the late 1990s, Austrian Airlines started buying other companies. In March 1997, it bought 35% of Lauda Air, and in December of that year, it bought 85.7% of Tyrolean Airways. Two years later, the airline fully bought Tyrolean Airways, making it a smaller company under Austrian Airlines. In 1999, Austrian Airlines started letting customers book flights online.

On March 26, 2000, Austrian Airlines became a member of Star Alliance. In January 2001, it bought most of the shares in Lauda Air. One month later, the airline also bought all the shares in Rheintalflug. Austrian Airlines' official name was shortened to Austrian in September 2003. They also renamed their three smaller airlines during this change. On October 1, 2004, the flight operations of Austrian and Lauda Air were combined into one team, making Lauda Air just a brand name for charter flights. Austrian Airlines had 6,394 employees then. Another smaller airline, Tyrolean Airways, focused on regional flights and had joined with Rheintalflug in 2002. In March 2004, Austrian Airlines launched its Focus East plan, adding more destinations across Central and Eastern Europe, bringing the total to 38. This made the Austrian Airlines Group a leader in that region.

In October 2006, Austrian Airlines had to start a strict plan to save money. In 2007, they cut over 500 jobs. Many long-distance flights were canceled, like those to Sydney, Melbourne, Kathmandu, and Shanghai. Three remaining Fokker 70 planes were sent to Tyrolean Airways. They also decided to stop using their long-distance Airbus planes (four Airbus A340s and four Airbus A330s) to use only Boeing 777s and Boeing 767s for long flights. Austrian Airlines stopped offering free meals and alcoholic drinks on short flights, instead offering a "Self Select Bistro Service," except on flights from London or flights longer than 100 minutes. The main office moved from Oberlaa in Vienna to Vienna International Airport in 2007.

After making a small profit of €3.3 million in 2007, the financial outlook for 2008 changed several times to a big loss of €475 million by the end of November.

Lufthansa Takes Over

In June 2008, a company called Merrill Lynch told the Austrian government to sell the airline to a foreign company. Many airlines showed interest, including Lufthansa, Air France–KLM, Royal Jordanian, Air China, Turkish Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, and Singapore Airlines. Out of these, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and S7 were the main ones who wanted to buy.

On November 13, 2008, the state holding company ÖIAG announced that Lufthansa was chosen. The German company would buy 41.6% of Austrian Airlines for €366,268.75. The leaders of Austrian Airlines and ÖIAG were criticized for not telling Lufthansa about a €500 million debt until the deal was already set.

On July 1, 2009, the European Commission started an investigation into the purchase. They thought the process of choosing a buyer might have been unfair and that Lufthansa was already chosen. But finally, after getting approval from the European Commission, Lufthansa bought Austrian Airlines in September 2009. Shares in Austrian Airlines AG were stopped from being traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange on February 4, 2010.

After some uncertainty, Jaan Albrecht became the new CEO in 2011. This marked a new beginning for the airline, with more passengers and a better position within the Lufthansa group. The airport in Vienna was also expanded, giving the airline more space to grow. As a result, in January 2012, a new plan was put in place to add 11 new planes in the next three years. This would update their fleet, with Airbus planes for medium flights and Boeings for long flights.

In December 2011, a new plan to save money was announced because the company was still losing money, even after cutting 2,500 jobs. Lufthansa refused to give more money. In March 2012, Austrian Airlines asked for more money again. Lufthansa approved adding €140 million, but only if the airline made real changes to fix its problems.

The smaller airline Lauda Air was fully merged into Austrian Airlines on July 1, 2012.

Flights Move to Tyrolean (2012)

On April 30, 2012, after talks about cutting costs failed, Austrian Airlines' flights were taken over by its smaller airline, Tyrolean Airways. After this date, all Austrian Airlines flights were operated by Tyrolean. However, 110 pilots and 250 flight attendants chose to leave the company instead of moving to Tyrolean.

In April 2013, Austrian Airlines stopped using its last Boeing 737 planes, including a 737-800 that had Lauda Air markings. This was part of a plan to use fewer types of planes. The airline's 11 Boeing 737s were replaced by seven Airbus A320s. This change was expected to save €17 million each year by using only one type of plane. In March 2014, it was announced that Austrian Airlines had made a profit for the first time in six years. In the same year, the management worked harder to end a long-running disagreement with its employees.

Austrian and Tyrolean Merge Again (2015)

In October 2014, it was announced that Tyrolean's flight operations and staff would be moved back into Austrian Airlines by March 31, 2015. This happened because a new agreement with the employees had been reached.

Before this merger, Austrian Airlines announced a new look and plan on March 26, 2015, initially called "my Austrian." It included a new company design, updated plane paint, and new flight routes. However, in January 2016, Austrian Airlines decided to change its new branding by removing the word "my" from "my Austrian" because it had been criticized.

In June 2015, Austrian Airlines announced it would buy 17 Embraer 195 planes from within the Lufthansa Group. These Embraer planes, which had belonged to Lufthansa CityLine, replaced the older Fokker 70s and 100s. By August 2016, eight of the 17 Embraer planes had been delivered, while 9 of the 23 Fokker planes left the fleet. By late July 2017, all remaining Fokker 70s were gone, and the Fokker 100s followed by the end of the year. That same year, Austrian Airlines started offering Internet on its short and medium-distance flights for the first time.

Because of more competition from cheaper airlines at its Vienna base and the need to make operations simpler to avoid losing money, the airline announced changes to its planes and flight network in 2019. All Bombardier Q400 propeller planes are being replaced with Airbus A320s by March 2021. Also, all crew bases outside of Vienna are being closed, and routes not going through Vienna airport are being moved to either Lufthansa or Eurowings. In January 2020, Austrian Airlines announced that three of its six Boeing 767-300ER long-distance planes would be retired, with the last one leaving the fleet by fall 2021.

Recent Developments (Since COVID-19)

From March 18 to June 15, 2020, Austrian Airlines officially stopped all regular flights because global air travel almost completely stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With regular flights stopped, the airline flew special flights to bring Austrians stuck abroad back home and to carry medical supplies. These flights went to places like Abuja, Bali, Lima, Mexico City, and Sydney. In summer 2020, the airline received €600 million in financial help from Lufthansa and the Austrian government to help it get through the pandemic. In return, Austrian Airlines promised to reduce its CO₂ emissions in Austria by 50% by 2030. Overall, the airline flew 3.1 million passengers in 2020, which was a 79% drop from the year before.

In September 2021, Austrian Airlines announced it would stop all its remaining scheduled flights that started from Austrian airports outside of Vienna. These flights will either be canceled or given to its sister company Eurowings.

In fall 2022, Austrian Airlines announced an order for four new Airbus A320neo planes. The first one joined the fleet in October 2022, and the other three will be added gradually until spring 2023. In April 2023, Austrian Airlines also announced that its current long-distance planes (3 Boeing 767-300ER and 6 Boeing 777-200ER) will be replaced by 10 Boeing 787-9 planes from early 2024 to 2028. Five of these jets will come from Lufthansa, and the other five will be delivered to Austrian Airlines from the existing Lufthansa Group order. In early 2024, Austrian Airlines confirmed that it will now receive a total of 11 Boeing 787-9s. Two of these, which were previously owned by Bamboo Airways, will be delivered by March 2024, with scheduled flights planned to start in summer 2024.

In fall 2023, an Austrian court ordered Austrian Airlines to clearly explain its marketing about reducing greenhouse gases.

How Austrian Airlines is Run

Austrian Airlines' main office at Vienna International Airport.

Austrian Airlines' Training Centre at Vienna International Airport.

Who Owns Austrian Airlines?

Austrian Airlines Group is fully owned by Lufthansa. Austrian Airlines also owns parts of 24 other companies, including:

• Austrian Technik Bratislava: a company that fixes and maintains planes, located at Bratislava Airport. They work on Fokker and Embraer regional jets, and Airbus A220 and Airbus A320 family planes.
• Gulet-Touropa-Touristik
• AVS-Versicherungen
• TUI Austria
• Traviaustria
• AirPlus Kreditkarteninstitut
• Wiener Börse AG
• SCA Schedule Coordination Austria
• ACS AirContainerService GmbH
• Avicon Aviation Consult GmbH
• Austrian Lufthansa Cargo GmbH
• Austrian Airlines Tele Sales & Service GmbH

How Many People Fly with Austrian Airlines?

Here's a quick look at how many passengers Austrian Airlines has flown over the years:

What the Planes Look Like

An Austrian Airbus A321 in the 2015 paint scheme, which was later changed.

Austrian Airlines' planes have always used the colors of the national flag of Austria: red, white, and red. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the bottom part of the planes was silver. The top part was white with the Austrian Airlines arrow and the words "Austrian Airlines" (until 1972, and again from 1995 to 2003) or "Austrian" (1972–1995, and from 2003 onwards). Austrian Airlines' slogan used to be "the friendly airline." When they changed their look in 2015, the blue bottom and engine paint were replaced with white and red.

The Austrian Airlines arrow, called the "Austrian Chevron," has changed its design several times over the years. When it was created in 1960, it looked like a flying bird. The design became more formal in 1972. In 1995, the "Chevron" was placed on the red-white-red tail of the plane. In the new design from 2003, the old "Chevron" shape was used again, but in a more modern way with a shadow underneath.

The airline has also used several special paint schemes over the years. Since joining Star Alliance, some planes have flown with Star Alliance markings. For the Mozart year in 2006, an Airbus A320 was decorated with a Mozart design, and an Airbus A340-300 had a special paint job honoring the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. A Boeing 737-600 was painted to look like a glacier for a Tyrol advertisement. Three designs were put on planes to celebrate Euro 2008, a big soccer event. An Airbus A320 was given a retro paint job to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. Austrian Airlines' current slogan is "the charming way to fly."

Where Austrian Airlines Flies

Flight Routes Over Time

In 2006, Austrian Airlines decided to stop using its A330 and A340 planes. These planes were sold to other airlines. Because they had fewer long-distance planes, Austrian Airlines stopped some of its long flights to East Asia. Flights to Shanghai (which started again in 2016), Phuket, Colombo, Mauritius (started again in 2014), Malé (started again in 2018), and Kathmandu ended in 2007.

Both routes to Australia – Melbourne via Singapore and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur – ended in March 2007. Austrian Airlines was the last European airline to offer direct flights from Melbourne to Europe. Austrian Airlines temporarily restarted the Vienna to Sydney route in March 2020 as part of special flights to bring people stuck in other countries home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight from Vienna to Sydney was non-stop and covered over 16,000 kilometers (about 9,940 miles). It lasted almost 18 hours, making it the longest flight in Austrian Airlines' history.

Austrian Airlines was one of the few airlines to fly to post-war Iraq when it started flights to Erbil in December 2006. New flights to Mumbai began in November 2010, and Austrian Airlines restarted flights to Baghdad on June 8, 2011. On January 13, 2013, Austrian Airlines stopped flights to Tehran because not enough people were flying there. Austrian Airlines restarted flights to Chicago on May 17, 2013, and started flights to Newark in 2014. Austrian Airlines began service to Mauritius at the start of the 2015 winter schedule. The airline also started flights to Miami in October 2015.

Austrian Airlines began service to Los Angeles on April 10, 2017. This flight covers over 9,877 kilometers (about 6,137 miles) and takes about 12 hours and 30 minutes, using Boeing 777-200ER planes. Austrian Airlines announced it would start flying to Shiraz four times a week starting July 2, 2017, with a stopover in Isfahan, using Airbus A320 planes.

Airlines They Work With

Austrian Airlines works with many other airlines. This means you can sometimes book a flight with Austrian Airlines, but actually fly on a plane from one of these partner airlines. This is called a codeshare agreement.

Austrian Airlines' Planes

Planes They Use Now

As of April 2024, Austrian Airlines flies the following types of planes:

Airbus A320-200

Airbus A321-200

Boeing 767-300ER

Boeing 777-200ER in an older paint scheme

Embraer 195 in an older paint scheme

Planes They Used in the Past

In the past, Austrian Airlines has flown many different types of planes. Other planes they used to fly include the British Aerospace 146, Douglas DC-3, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, and Aero Commander (Grand Commander 680FL model).

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Hawker Siddeley HS 748

Airbus A310-300

Airbus A330-200 (OE-LAO, Grossglockner) in an early Star Alliance paint scheme

Airbus A340-300 (OE-LAL, America) wearing a Wiener Philharmoniker special paint scheme

Boeing 737-600

What it's Like to Fly with Austrian Airlines

The business class cabin on one of Austrian's long-distance planes.

Austrian's Boeing 777-200ER economy class

Austrian Airlines has several special waiting areas, called lounges, at its main airport in Vienna. There are three for Business Class passengers, two for Senator members, and two for HON-Circle members.

Since 2007, a company called Do & Co has provided the food and drinks for Austrian Airlines flights.

As of 2011, all Austrian Airlines' Airbus A320 family planes have new seats and a new cabin design. By September 2013, all of Austrian's long-distance planes (Boeing 767 and Boeing 777) also got new seats and a new cabin design. In Business Class, there are seats that can become flat beds with a special air system, and almost every seat has direct access to the aisle. In Economy Class, there are new seats with video screens for every passenger.

myAustrian Holidays

Austrian myHoliday took over from Lauda Air as Austrian Airlines' holiday travel brand in April 2013. It was renamed myAustrian Holidays in mid-2015. This part of the airline offers seasonal charter flights (special flights for holidays) on its own and with tour companies. They also offer exclusive charter flights for specific needs. All these holiday flights are flown by Austrian Airlines planes and crew. They also offer a Do & Co food service on all these flights.

In 2017–18, seasonal holiday flights were offered to 40 places in ten countries.

myAustrian Holidays flights have special flight numbers:

• OS2000-OS2999: for full charter flights and exclusive charter flights
• OS4000-OS4999 & OS9000-OS9999: for seasonal holiday flights

Plane Incidents

Here are some notable incidents involving Austrian Airlines' main planes. This list does not include incidents with smaller airlines that were part of Austrian Airlines, like Tyrolean Airways.

• On September 26, 1960, an Austrian Airlines Vickers Viscount plane (registered OE-LAF) crashed while trying to land at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Sadly, 26 of the 31 passengers and five of the six crew members died. The plane was flying Flight 901 from Vienna to Moscow with a stop in Warsaw. A problem with the plane's altimeter (which measures height) was likely the cause of this, the only fatal accident for the airline so far.
• On February 21, 1970, an event happened in the cargo area of an Austrian Airlines Sud Aviation Caravelle (registered OE-LCU) during a flight from Frankfurt to Vienna. This caused a hole in the side of the plane. The pilots were able to safely return the plane to Frankfurt Airport. On the same day, a similar event happened on Swissair Flight 330, causing it to crash and killing 47 people. A group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said they were responsible for both events.
• On January 7, 1997, Austrian Airlines Flight 104 from Berlin to Vienna had an incident where a man from Bosnia forced his way into the cockpit with a knife. The knife was small enough that it wasn't banned from planes at the time. The pilots followed the man's demands to return to Berlin so he could talk with local officials about renewing his visa. Back at Berlin Tegel Airport, special police forces entered the McDonnell Douglas MD-87 plane, and the man was taken into custody.
• On January 5, 2004, an Austrian Airlines Fokker 70 plane (registered OE-LFO) made an emergency landing on a snow-covered field near Munich International Airport. The plane was flying Flight 111 from Vienna to Munich. The engines stopped working during landing because of ice buildup. The plane was badly damaged, but only three passengers had minor injuries.

Images for kids

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  Historic Austrian Airlines aircraft including Douglas DC-3s at Vienna Airport, date unknown.

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  An Austrian Airlines Vickers Viscount 837 at London-Heathrow in 1962.

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  Austrian Airlines flight attendants in 1964, showing their new uniforms for the 1964 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

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  An Austrian Airlines Sud Caravelle in 1972.

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  An Austrian Airlines Douglas DC-9 in 1989.

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  An Austrian Airbus A340-300 at Osaka-Kansai in 2001.

See also

In Spanish: Austrian Airlines para niños