Expansion for Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines says that an expected €150m cash injection will firm up its ambitious plans to target business travellers to the Middle East, on the occasion of Austrian Airlines' 50th birthday. The financial boost is provided by Saudi Sheik Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, to fund strategic route and fleet development. He possesses Austrian citizenship, and will take a 20% stake in the carrier.

Austrian Airlines has already pursued a highly successful strategy of penetrating Eastern European markets using its Vienna hub, which is far more efficient than larger airports, with a Minimum Connecting Time down to only around half an hour.

It is now training its sights firmly towards the burgeoning Middle East business travel sector, with plans to get up to nine additional Airbus A320 aircraft, which would be configured using the carrier's new 'Premium Service' concept. Starting with four A320s, Austrian will gradually kit out the machines using 24 so-called 'sleeper seats' with a 46" pitch and 102 economy places at 32", from July this year. This could see Premium Service implemented on existing Middle East routes to Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Erbil and Tehran, while adding Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, as well as Astana in Kazakhstan.