Austrian Airlines first of four new Airbus A320neos, named ‘Donau-Auen’ entered service on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 with inaugural service to London. The remaining three A320neos aircraft will enter service by Spring 2023.
On Tuesday (October 18, 2022), Austrian Airlines celebrated the entry into passenger revenue service of their first Airbus A320neo, registration OE-LZN, which has been named ‘Donau-Auen.’ The aircraft’s inaugural flight between Vienna and London (OS461) took place on Wednesday, October 19, 2023. Austrian’s remaining three A320neos will enter service by spring 2023, expanding the airline’s fleet to 65 aircraft. Austrian Airlines welcomed their first A320neo on Tuesday with a special ‘Servus A320neo’ event held in their Vienna Airport hangar. The event was attended by Federal Minister Martin Kocher, Austrian Airlines’ Boar Members CEO Annette Mann, CCO Michael Trestl, and COO Francesco Sciortino, as well as Austrian Airlines A320 Co-Pilot Timon-Niklas Grusetchi. Mr. Grutsetchi’s idea to name the four new A320neos after Austrian national parks was chosen from a total of 280 employee submissions.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Austrian Airlines’ CEO, Annette Mann, said,
“The Austrian Team has bravely navigated the crisis over the past two and a half years and put the company back on track. The restructuring has been completed and the Austrian Team is “fit to fly” again. This summer, we successfully demonstrated our performance level. This was the basis for us to add factory-new aircraft to our fleet for the first time in more than 16 years and thus take an important growth step for our company and the Vienna hub.”
Austrian Airlines Welcomes the Entry Into Service of Their First Airbus A320neo - Courtesy Austrian Airlines
The new 180-passenger A320neo will be flown on continental services, primarily on routes to London and Berlin, and later to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. Thanks to improved aerodynamics, and efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, the A320neo offers a 20 percent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, as well as a 50 percent smaller noise footprint. The aircraft’s innovative Airspace Cabin also features slimmer wall panels offering more shoulder-level space, 60 percent more overhead bin capacity, and lighting that can be adjusted during different flight phases.
Source: Austrian Airlines