Corporate travellers hoping to catch Austrian Airlines’ nightly OS859/OS860 rotation to Tel Aviv will have to wait a little longer. The carrier confirmed on 16 January that the late-departure pair remains suspended until at least 31 January after Lufthansa Group risk analysts extended their security warning for Israeli airspace. Austrian had originally pencilled 19 January for a restart. Daytime services continue, but each departure is cleared only after a rolling 24-hour security review with Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority. (visahq.com)
Vienna is a key hub for Central- and Eastern-European business travellers heading to Israel’s tech and defence sectors, so the missing night flight compresses capacity into a handful of daylight slots. Travellers now face tighter connections via Zurich or Istanbul, and some itineraries spill over into the next calendar day—raising awkward Schengen-visa validity questions for non-EU nationals.
For travellers worried about whether their Schengen paperwork still aligns with these shifting timetables, VisaHQ’s Vienna-based specialists can fast-track extensions, multi-entry permits, and other documentation—often without requiring an in-person consulate visit. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) lets mobility teams upload bulk employee data and track application status in real time, providing a useful safety valve when last-minute re-routing forces date changes.
![Austrian Airlines Keeps Late-Night Vienna–Tel Aviv Flight Grounded Until 31 January]()
Operational work-arounds are not free. Austrian continues to avoid Iranian airspace entirely and may soon route around parts of Iraq, adding roughly 20 minutes flight time and about two tonnes of fuel per sector. So far the airline is eating the cost, but analysts predict a temporary fuel surcharge if the conflict drags on. Mobility managers should alert assignees that automatic re-bookings onto earlier flights could trigger overnight stays in Vienna; hotel and duty-of-care budgets need padding.
Practical advice: double-check lithium-battery limits on carry-on power banks, ensure onward Schengen visas cover spill-over dates, and consider rail-air alternatives via Larnaca or Athens for travellers who must reach Israel after business hours.
Looking ahead, Austrian will review the suspension weekly. Travel teams should subscribe to the carrier’s disruption SMS alerts and maintain at least one back-up routing in traveller profiles.
Vienna is a key hub for Central- and Eastern-European business travellers heading to Israel’s tech and defence sectors, so the missing night flight compresses capacity into a handful of daylight slots. Travellers now face tighter connections via Zurich or Istanbul, and some itineraries spill over into the next calendar day—raising awkward Schengen-visa validity questions for non-EU nationals.
For travellers worried about whether their Schengen paperwork still aligns with these shifting timetables, VisaHQ’s Vienna-based specialists can fast-track extensions, multi-entry permits, and other documentation—often without requiring an in-person consulate visit. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) lets mobility teams upload bulk employee data and track application status in real time, providing a useful safety valve when last-minute re-routing forces date changes.
Operational work-arounds are not free. Austrian continues to avoid Iranian airspace entirely and may soon route around parts of Iraq, adding roughly 20 minutes flight time and about two tonnes of fuel per sector. So far the airline is eating the cost, but analysts predict a temporary fuel surcharge if the conflict drags on. Mobility managers should alert assignees that automatic re-bookings onto earlier flights could trigger overnight stays in Vienna; hotel and duty-of-care budgets need padding.
Practical advice: double-check lithium-battery limits on carry-on power banks, ensure onward Schengen visas cover spill-over dates, and consider rail-air alternatives via Larnaca or Athens for travellers who must reach Israel after business hours.
Looking ahead, Austrian will review the suspension weekly. Travel teams should subscribe to the carrier’s disruption SMS alerts and maintain at least one back-up routing in traveller profiles.
