Helmut Haubenwaller (50) has been appointed to serve as the new chief pilot for Austrian Airlines. Born in Salzburg, he commences work in his new position on April 1, 2019. In his new capacity, Haubenwaller will be responsible for the safe flight operations with about 1,200 pilots in 83 aircraft. He succeeds Gerhard Pitsch, who will remain part of the management team of Austrian Airlines and focus on a strategic issue in decentralized flight traffic.

Haubenwaller began his career as a co-pilot for Lauda Air in 1989, flying a Boeing 737 and later a Boeing 767. He has been captain since 1994 and flew CRJ and B777 aircraft. At present, he is deployed in a B767. At the same time, he was also involved in the fields of fleet management and flight standards. In 2004, he assumed responsibility for the B767 fleet following the merger of Austrian Airlines and Lauda Air. In this position, he initiated and managed various projects. He has coordinated crew training since the year 2016. The enthusiastic mountaineer is married and has three children.

Helmut Haubenwaller will continue to perform his work as Head of Crew Training until a successor is found.