Austrian Airlines Enters Wetlease Cooperation with Braathens Regional Airlines

• Starting in the summer of 2024, a new cooperation between Austrian Airlines and Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) will start
• The regional airline will operate on selected routes on behalf of Austrian Airlines
• Partnership facilitates better connectivity of certain regional routes to the Vienna hub
• CCO Michael Trestl: "On certain regional routes, the demand has not fully returned after the pandemic. To continue connecting these routes to our Vienna hub in the future, we need adjusted capacity structures. I am pleased to have found a proven partner in Braathens Regional Airlines for this challenging segment."

From the summer flight program 2024, Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA), Austrian Airlines' new cooperation partner, will take over certain routes currently operated by the Embraer 195 aircraft through wet lease. This partnership primarily enhances efficiency and cost-effectiveness on the selected routes, thereby ensuring a sustainable connection to the Vienna hub.

Due to the fact that demand for air travel has not fully recovered on certain regional routes after the pandemic, Austrian Airlines faces new challenges. Particularly, the slow recovery of business travel demand results in a lower demand level, necessitating adjusted capacity structures for economically viable operations. Routes such as Vienna to Klagenfurt or Košice are neither economically nor operationally ideal for Austrian Airlines' current fleet. These routes will now be served by Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA). This means that aircraft and crews will be provided by the partner airline. On board, passengers can expect the familiar Austrian Airlines catering product, and both Business and Economy Class seats will be offered. The flights will be operated with two ATR propeller aircraft, which, due to their lower capacity, are more efficient for the respective routes, emit less CO2, and provide the appropriate seat volume for the markets served, with 72 seats. 

"On some regional routes, the demand has not fully returned after the pandemic. To continue connecting these routes to our Vienna hub in the future, we need adjusted capacity structures. I am pleased to have found a dedicated partner in Braathens Regional Airlines in this challenging segment", stated Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl.

"We are very excited about the collaboration with Austrian Airlines and hope to further develop it over time. We have extensive experience in providing this type of service at a high quality level and look forward to offering it also in the Austrian market", said Ulrika Matsgård, CEO of Braathens Regional Airlines.

Flights at a glance:

Flights are now available at www.austrian.com