30. 06. 10. - 14:00

AUA orders new planes

Austrian Airlines (AUA) has revealed expansion plans for the first time in months.

Firm co-chief Andreas Bierwirth announced today (Weds) AUA has ordered two new Airbus A320 jets which have a capacity of around 160 seats.

"We expect the planes to be delivered next April," he explained.

Bierwirth said he was currently holding talks with AUA owner Lufthansa to evaluate whether the group will lease or buy the airplanes.

German company Lufthansa took over AUA in September 2009 to rescue it from going bankrupt. Competitors like FlyNiki boss Niki Lauda criticised the deal since it included a 500-million-Euro dowry by the Austrian government coalition.

Bierwirth said the two ordered jets will be used on medium-haul flights. "This enables us to use some of our planes for long-distance flights," he stressed.

AUA announced only a few weeks ago that it considered reintroducing some long-haul trips. Chicago, Shanghai and Miami are rumoured to be making a comeback on the Vienna-based firm’s flight plan, while AUA already confirmed reports that it will head to Mumbai from November. The carrier axed the route last year as part of its cost-cutting regime.

AUA laid off hundreds of employees after the Lufthansa takeover and hopes to be back in the black next year.

The former Austrian flagship carrier had 1.015 million customers last month, up by 16.1 per cent year on year.

FlyNiki, its main rival, also plans to expand the number of offered connections. Lauda said his goal for this year was to serve more than three million customers. The budget airline – which cooperates with German company Air Berlin – had 2.6 million passengers in 2009.

AUA meanwhile appealed to Vienna International Airport (VIA) to slash the expenses it charged airlines.

International air traffic research revealed recently that VIA is one of the most expensive destinations for aviation companies in Europe. AUA complained however that the standard of customer service at VIA had decreased dramatically over the past few years.

AUA is the airport’s most important customer.

VIA has dominated the headlines with several postponements of the opening date of its new Skylink terminal. The project with the slogan "More than a Terminal" started in 2005 and was set to start operating in 2008. Now VIA bosses said they were optimistic about doing business at Skylink from 2012.

Federal Audit Office (RH) experts checked the books earlier this year after magazine profil claimed that building costs will surpass 800 million Euros instead of the initially announced 400 million Euros.

VIA is Austria’s biggest airport and an important hub in European air traffic.