Austrian Airlines to Add 17 Airbus A320neo Jets, Retire Embraer E195 Fleet

Austrian Airlines is set to undergo a significant overhaul of its aircraft fleet, as reported by Austrian Wings. This includes replacing A320neo jets with Pratt & Whitney engines with similar ones equipped with CFM Leap turbofans and retiring the 17 Embraer E195 jets that were received only a decade ago.

According to the outlet, 17 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family will begin to be transferred to Austrian in 2026, in the context of a modernization driven by the Lufthansa Group, which has controlled the airline since 2009.

The current fleet of Austrian Airlines, composed of 68 aircraft, will be expanded with 11 Airbus A320neo and six A321neo, all equipped with CFM Leap-1 engines. At the same time, the Embraer 195 aircraft, integrated into the Austrian operation in 2015 through a second-hand acquisition, will be retired, but their fate remains unclear.

The process of renewal also involves the transfer of five Airbus A320neo equipped with PW1127G engines to the Swiss airline Edelweiss, another company in the Lufthansa group that focuses on leisure travel. The replacement of the Embraer 195 by A320neo and A321neo represents a standardization of the narrow-body fleet, which has operational implications and potential for reduced maintenance costs.

In addition to the single-aisle aircraft, Austrian Airlines has initiated the incorporation of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for long-haul flights starting in 2024, which will take over routes previously operated by the Boeing 767-300ER and 777-200ER. As a result, the airline will conduct its intercontinental operations exclusively with the 787-9 model.

Austrian Airlines also announced the start of direct flights to Dubai from December 2025, leveraging the modernization of its fleet. The airline remains a member of the Star Alliance, aligning its fleet strategy with the guidelines of the parent group.

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Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.

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