Vienna, Austria, January 9, 2024 – Emirates is welcoming the new year in Austria with great news: Starting on February 21 until the end of the winter flight schedule (March 30, 2024), the flights EK127 and EK 128 which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will be upgraded to a three-class A380 aircraft, boosting capacity and adding more options for travellers to and from Vienna.
Emirates’ flight EK127 leaves Dubai at 8:55 am and arrives in the Austrian capital at 12:25 pm. The return flight EK128, departs Vienna at 3:10 pm and arrives in Dubai at 23:40 pm, with all times local.
Emirates passengers travelling from Vienna will once again enjoy the unique experience offered by the world’s largest passenger aircraft, including First Class suites and shower spas, the onboard lounge and, of course, the best international and regionally inspired cuisine. The award-winning in-flight entertainment system ice offers up to 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment.
The Austrian Ministry of Defense announced today the decision to select the Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) C-390 Millennium aircraft as its new tactical transport solution. Embraer is honored to be chosen to support this important Air Force in Europe.
Austria joins Brazil, Portugal, Hungary and the Netherlands as future operator of the C-390 Millennium multi-mission platform, an aircraft that is rapidly redefining the standards of tactical transport in the world defense market.
Embraer is ready to support the Austrian Ministry of Defense and Air Force in order to meet the demanding requirements of their acquisition process and prepared to further strengthen the relationship with this nation.
Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) has awarded Stadler (Swiss: SRAIL) a framework agreement for up to 120 battery- powered trains. The FLIRT Akku vehicles are designed to replace the current diesel fleet and will enable sustainable operation on lines that are only partially electrified. The signing of the framework agreement and the initial order for 16 FLIRT battery is expected to take place in autumn 2023. This contract and the recent successes in the USA, Germany and Italy once again confirm Stadler’s leading position in battery and hydrogen green propulsion technology.
The new trains are FLIRT Akku vehicles – the battery-powered version of Stadler’s best-selling FLIRT model, which has already sold over 2,500 units worldwide. They are intended for use in the eastern region in Austria, where they will replace the current diesel fleet. The FLIRT Akku model allows sustainable rail operation on non-electrified line sections by charging the traction batteries while travelling under an overhead contact line.
Rail transport is the most sustainable mobility solution of all. Shifting passenger and freight transport to rail therefore plays a central role in combating climate change. However, the rail networks in many countries are only partially electrified or not electrified at all – as is the case in Austria. Stadler has consistently expanded its alternative propulsion portfolio in recent years and is currently assisting rail operators worldwide with the decarbonisation of rail transport. Depending on the area of application, Stadler offers its customers tailor-made solutions with battery, hydrogen or even hybrid propulsion.
Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) is once again ordering 35 new KISS double-decker multiple units from Stadler Rail AG (SWISS: SRIAF). In addition to 14 trains for long-distance services, Stadler is also supplying 21 KISS vehicles for local transport. The order is part of the framework agreement signed in 2022 for up to 186 double-decker multiple units. Including the first call-off, 76 vehicles were thus ordered. Thanks to its high degree of innovation and generous space, the KISS has impressed customers in 14 countries.
ÖBB and Stadler are continuing the joint replacement of the Austrian local and long-distance transport fleet. Last year, OBB called off 41 KISS double-decker multiple units from a framework agreement for 186 trains. OBB and Stadler have signed the contract for exercising the next option with a volume of around 600 million euros. This comprises a total of 35 new double-decker multiple units, 14 of which are six-car trains for long- distance services and 21 are four-car KISS vehicles for local transport. The deployment of the new trains is planned in stages from mid-2026.
The KISS double-deck multiple units ordered as part of the first call-off in April 2022 will go into assembly on schedule and are scheduled for service in the eastern region as of 2026. For Stadler, it is a great vote of confidence and proof of the good cooperation that OBB is already calling off such a high number of further trains in this project phase.
Maximum capacity for tomorrow’s rail transport
Since 2010, the KISS has been successfully operating as a local or long-distance train with a high passenger capacity from Western Europe to the Caspian Sea – and soon also in the USA. Since the first delivery, 620 double-deck trains have been sold in 14 countries. Under a wide range of climatic conditions, in climates from Silicon Valley to Azerbaijan, from suburban trains to long-distance transport, the KISS cover hundreds of thousands of kilometers every day. Hardly any other double-decker vehicle concept demonstrates such flexibility.
In July 1983, the OAMTC air rescue service started operations in Innsbruck with an AS355. Since then, the HEMS operator has expanded its service throughout the whole country, offering its life-saving services to the Austrian population from the mountainous regions in the west to the plains in the east near the borders with Slovakia and Hungary.
Today, OAMTC Air Rescue operates more than 22 HEMS bases throughout Austria, all named Christophorus after St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. Of these, 17 are in operation all year round, while four are in seasonal operation, mainly during winter, to provide HEMS services to the country’s more than 400 ski resorts. Since 1999, OAMTC air rescue has also been operating an H135 as an intensive care helicopter, which enables inter-hospital transfers of intensive care patients to the highest standards.
Relying on the H135 family since 1997 As one of the world’s first operators of the H135 family, OAMTC has relied on the helicopter as the backbone of its missions since 1997. Since then, more than 212,000 flight hours have been logged, including 1 million take-offs and landings, and more than 400,000 missions have been flown. One of the pilots who’s contributed nearly 3,000 flight hours to these impressive figures is Robert Gallmayer, who also happens to be the head of the Christophorus 9 base in the Austrian capital of Vienna. He praises the H135 for its reliability, safety and ergonomics. He also notes that Helionix, the Airbus avionics suite that’s on board the latest version of the H135, plays a big role in ensuring mission success.
There is every indication that this joint success story will continue: In 2020, OAMTC air rescue again demonstrated its confidence in the H135 with an order for five more of these helicopters, the first four of which have already been delivered to the Austrian HEMS organization.
Stadler has been awarded the largest contract in the company’s history with a total volume of up to four billion euros: it has won an international tender held jointly by six transport companies fromGermany and Austria for up to 504 vehicles as part of the VDV Tram-Train project. In addition to vehicle production, the framework agreement also includes a maintenance contract lasting up to 32 years. Part of the framework agreement is a fixed order quantity of 246 CITYLINK vehicles representing a volume of around 1.7 billion euros. There is also an option to order up to 258 more vehicles.
The award of the contract marks the beginning of a long-standing partnership between Stadler and the project consortium, consisting of Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (VBK), Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG), Saarbahn Netz, Schiene Oberösterreich, the State of Salzburg and Zweckverband Regional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb. Over the next ten years, Stadler will produce 246 CITYLINK vehicles for the six operators. The first four vehicles will be delivered to the Saarbahn in 2024.
All vehicles will be supplied in a three-part design. The length of the vehicles, the number of doors, the boarding and coupling height as well as the configuration of the CITYLINK versions will vary depending on the delivery location and the customer. All the vehicles will have certain features in common: they will be fitted with an HVAC system for the passenger compartments and driver’s cab, and have spacious multi-purpose areas with two wheelchair spaces that can be flexibly configured. The tram-trains will be individually equipped to suit the place of use. For example, the vehicles for the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft will have a toilet as well as facilities for cycle racks, while Schiene Oberösterreich has opted for luggage racks as an extra feature.
Providing one type of vehicle for six operators is unusual. “On the project team, we spent hours developing a common set of specifications. We defined a standard with up to five further versions to meet the operator- specific requirements such as boarding height, coating and place of use,” explains the overall project manager Thorsten Erlenkötter from Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe.
Austrian Airlines is expanding its long-haul services in the upcoming summer flight schedule. From May, Austria’s home carrier will once again be flying three times a week to Montreal and New York JFK. As Newark was already in service up to now, the total number of flights to New York will increase to eight connections per week as of May.
“With five destinations in North America and three in Asia, including Tokyo and Bangkok, our long-haul services are back on a slight climb this summer. Unfortunately, we are still a long way from reaching cruising altitude. We hope that a rapid increase in the vaccination rate and a corresponding relaxation of travel restrictions will give us a further boost in the future”, says Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl.
Austrian Airlines was already able to announce an increase in its summer flight schedule last week. From the end of March, various destinations will be resumed, including Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Florence. Hanover will be served by Austrian Airlines again for the first time since 2009. In addition, numerous vacation destinations are back on offer, for example in Greece, Italy and Spain. In the intercontinental route network, Amman, Bangkok, Chicago and Tokyo are back in the flight schedule.
On the Austrian Airlines website, passengers will find information on travel in times of corona, mandatory wearing of masks, country-specific travel regulations or flexible rebooking arrangements. The information is updated on an ongoing basis.
Austrian Airlines has found a buyer for the three long-haul aircraft that were up for sale. The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft will go to the U.S. company MonoCoque Diversified Interests. The purchase agreement has already been signed. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The first aircraft, registered OE-LAT, will leave Vienna at the beginning of March for Pinal Airpark, Arizona. The aircraft is currently undergoing all the necessary preparations for the handover. The next transfer flight is scheduled for May with the Boeing 767 registered OE-LAX.
“Being able to sell all three Boeing 767’s to one buyer is very gratifying and a big step for our fleet transition”, says Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. “I would like to thank MonoCoque Diversified Interests for the good negotiations and our team for their great commitment.”
“MDI is excited to continue the growth of its passenger and cargo aviation portfolio with the addition of three 767-300ERs”, adds MDI’s manager Mary Alice Keyes. “It has been a pleasure to work with Austrian Airlines, a group with a long history and outstanding pedigree.”
At an average of 28.5 years, the three 767’s sold are among the oldest aircraft in the Austrian Airlines fleet. The remaining three 767’s are between 20 and 22 years of age. After the completed handover, Austrian Airlines will continue to have nine long-haul jets at its disposal, which will connect Austria with destinations around the globe – from the USA to the Far East. In detail, these are six Boeing 777’s with over 300 seats and three Boeing 767’s with over 200 seats.
Until the beginning of 2022, 28 aircraft will leave the fleet of Austria’s home carrier: In addition to the aforementioned three Boeing 767-300ER’s, 18 Dash turboprops and seven Airbus A319 jets will be handed over. Ten turboprops have already left Vienna, with the remaining eight to follow soon. This means that the fleet will consist of around 60 aircraft by the beginning of 2022. As mainly smaller aircraft will be retired, this corresponds to a capacity reduction of around 20 percent.
In Vienna, a new era in passenger rail starts today. Until the end of November, a hydrogen train will run for the first time in regular passenger service for ÖBB, the Austrian Federal Railways. The Coradia iLint, built by Alstom in Salzgitter, Germany, uses on-board fuel cells to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, thus reducing operating emissions to zero.
Following successful test operation in Northern Germany between 2018 and 2020, the Coradia iLint train will now demonstrate its worth in Austria over three months during which it will transport passengers on geographically challenging routes.
“With its use in regular passenger operations for ÖBB, our innovation train Coradia iLint has reached the next milestone,” said Dr. Jörg Nikutta, Alstom’s CEO in Germany and Austria, at the launch event in Vienna. “The train’s emission-free drive technology offers a climate-friendly alternative to conventional diesel trains, especially on non-electrified lines. I am particularly pleased that ÖBB, a strong and long-term partner in the European mobility market, is convinced of our technology and its advantages.”
“We clearly see ourselves as pioneers in testing hydrogen technology on rail. As the largest climate protection company in Austria, we are actively shaping the mobility of the future with technological alternatives,” emphasizes Andreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB-Holding AG on the occasion of the premiere of the hydrogen train.
The operational success of Alstom’s fuel cell train started in September 2018, when two pre-series vehicles began regular passenger service in Lower Saxony, Germany. After 1.5 years of trial operation and more than 180,000 kilometres covered, the way was cleared for the delivery of 14 series trains beginning in 2022. Now, the Austrian ÖBB will test the Coradia iLint on regional railway lines in the country’s south, where they could replace diesel trains. Passengers can look forward to a low-noise train with a top speed of 140 km/h and zero emissions.
Last flight will land on 19 March in Vienna / all further flights are temporarily suspended until 28 March
Lufthansa Group: entire short and long-haul schedule significantly reduced again
As of 17 March: ten percent of the originally planned capacity will still be available on long-haul routes and 20 per cent on short-haul routes
Lufthansa Group airlines fly thousands of cruise passengers and holidaymakers home
Arrangements for further evacuation flights
Lufthansa Cargo flight operations carries out all planned flights despite corona crisis
The Lufthansa Group carrier Austrian Airlines will temporarily suspend scheduled flight operations as of Thursday, 19 March 2020. Austrian Airlines is thus reacting to the entry restrictions imposed by many countries in response to the massive spread of the coronavirus.
For the time being, the last flight with flight number OS 066 will land in Vienna from Chicago at 8:20 a.m. on 19 March. Until then, flight operations are to be reduced in a controlled and structured manner in order to bring all passengers and crews home if possible. Initially Austrian Airlines will cancel all flights until March 28th 2020, and passengers who have booked a flight with Austrian Airlines during this period will be rebooked on other airlines if possible.
In addition, Lufthansa Group airlines will further reduce their short- and long-haul schedule. The cancellations, which will be published as early as tomorrow, March 17th, will lead to a sharp decline in long-haul service especially in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America. Overall, the Lufthansa Group’s seating capacity on long-haul routes will be reduced by up to 90 per cent. A total of 1,300 weekly connections were originally planned for summer 2020.
Within Europe the flight schedule will also be further reduced. Starting tomorrow, around 20 percent of the originally planned seating capacity will still be offered. Originally, some 11,700 weekly short-haul flights were planned for summer 2020 with Lufthansa Group airlines.
The additional cancellations will be published over the next few days and passengers will be informed accordingly.
Despite the large-scale cancellations, Lufthansa, Eurowings and Austrian Airlines have scheduled more than 20 special flights with over 6,000 guests on short notice to fly cruise passengers and holidaymakers back home. Wide-body aircraft namely, the Boeing 747 & 777 and Airbus A350 are being used to offer as much capacity as possible on these return flights. Since thousands of German, Austrian, Swiss and Belgian citizens are still waiting to return to their home countries, Lufthansa Group airlines have made arrangements for further evacuation flightsand are in close contact with the governments of their home countries concerning this. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said: “Now it is no longer about economic issues, but about the responsibility that airlines bear as part of the critical infrastructure in their home countries.” Lufthansa will work with airports and air traffic controllers to develop a coordinated concept for maintaining the critical infrastructure.
The new timetable for all Lufthansa Group airlines will initially be valid until 12 April 2020. Lufthansa Group passengers planning a trip in the coming weeks are advised to check the current status of the respective flight on their airline’s website before departure. If rebooking possibilities exist, the passengers concerned will be proactively informed about alternatives, as long as they have provided their contact details online. In addition, currently changed rebooking conditions apply on a goodwill basis. Customers can find more information about this at lufthansa.com.
We are currently receiving an exceptionally high number of customer calls at our Service Centers and at our stations. We are continuously working on increasing capacity to meet this demand. Nevertheless, there are currently long waiting times. Passengers can use the extensive rebooking and self-service options on the airlines’ websites as an alternative to the Service Centers.
Unlike the passenger airlines, Lufthansa Cargo has so far been able to operate all its planned flights except for cancellations to mainland China. The Lufthansa Group subsidiary will continue to do everything in its power to maintain the flight operations of its own cargo fleet and thus support the global supply chains. Especially during the current crisis, logistics and thus also airfreight are of paramount importance.
