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| Founded | 3 May 1923 (as ÖLAG) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 31 March 1958 | ||||||
| Hubs | Vienna Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Miles & More | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
| Fleet size | 67[1] | ||||||
| Destinations | 121[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Lufthansa Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Schwechat, Austria Jurisdiction: Vienna[3] | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Revenue |  EUR 1.871 mio. (2022)[1] | ||||||
| Operating income | EUR 3 mio. (2022)[1] | ||||||
| Employees | 5,659 (as of December 2022)[1] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian or AUA, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of Lufthansa, the flag carrier of Germany. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat[4] where it also maintains its hub. As of July 2016, the airline flew to six domestic and more than 120 international year-round and seasonal destinations in 55 countries[5] and is a member of the Star Alliance.
The airline was formed in 1957 by the merger of Air Austria and Austrian Airways but traces its history back to 1923 at the founding of Austrian Airways. Throughout much of the company's existence, it was a state-owned entity. On 31 March 1958, the airline performed its scheduled service, flying a leased Vickers Viscount from Vienna to Zürich and London; it subsequently purchased its own Viscount fleet. On 18 February 1963, Austrian ordered its first jet-powered airliner, the Sud Aviation Caravelle. It subsequently introduced various models and derivatives of the Douglas DC-9 jetliner; by the end of 1971, Austrian was an all-jet operator. During the 1980s, it introduced the DC-9-80, otherwise known as the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, to its fleet. Various airliners produced by Airbus, Boeing, Fokker and other manufacturers were introduced across the 1980s and 1990s.
Throughout the 1990s, the airline sought out new strategic alliances, as well as to expand its presence in the long-haul market, launching new services to China and South Africa. In 2000, Austrian became a member of Star Alliance; a few years prior, it had also joined the Qualiflyer Group. During the 2000s, the airline expanded through the acquisitions of Rheintalflug and Lauda Air and adopted the shortened Austrian name in 2003. Throughout the 2000s, Austrian sustained several years of losses; during 2008, the airline's then-owner, the Austrian government, was advised to privatise Austrian via its sale to a foreign company. In 2009, the Lufthansa Group purchased Austrian after receiving approval from the European Commission following an investigation into the tendering process.
Following its privatisation, both fleet expansion and cost-saving initiatives were enacted as the business was restructured; visible changes included route alterations, a new corporate design, and a revised aircraft livery. Following labour disputes over several of the cost-cutting measures, all Austrian Airlines' flights were transferred on 1 July 2012 to its subsidiary, Tyrolean Airways, which operated under the Austrian name. On 1 April 2015, after a new labour agreement had been reached, all flights transferred back to Austrian, and Tyrolean Airways was merged into its parent.[6] During the late 2010s, restructuring of both its fleet and route network continued.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
Results 2022was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Austrian Airlines on ch-aviation". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Firmensitz von Austrian Airlines ist korrekt". APA-OTS. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ "Information about the city plan". City of Schwechat. Archived from the original on 12 December 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "Destinations". Austrian Airlines. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Tyrolean to merge with Austrian Airlines next spring". Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.