Austrian Airlines (OS) used the 4 November 2025 media briefing to unveil its first post-pandemic network expansion, confirming seven new destinations in its 2026 summer timetable. The Lufthansa-group carrier will base the growth on additional Airbus A320-family capacity freed up by the group-wide fleet harmonisation programme. From 29 March 2026, the red-tail flag-carrier will connect Vienna to Alicante, Bilbao, Lesbos, the Azores (Ponta Delgada), Ohrid, Bergen and Calvi (Corsica), all served two to four times per week.
The move is a direct response to the announced downsizing by low-cost rivals Wizz Air and Ryanair in Vienna. Chief Commercial Officer Michael Trestl said the carrier is “seizing the opportunity created by capacity gaps” and aims to protect Vienna’s hub status by capturing both visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) and high-yield corporate traffic that previously gravitated to low-cost competitors.
![Austrian Airlines Adds Seven New European Leisure Routes in 2026 Summer Schedule]()
Behind the scenes, the network planners have prioritised morning departures and evening returns on most of the new sectors to maximise feed for the airline’s long-haul bank. Austrian estimates that 35 % of the seats will be sold as part of through itineraries to North America and Asia, underpinning connectivity that is critical for Vienna-based multinationals such as OMV, Erste Group and Verbund.
For mobility managers the announcement offers additional non-stop options out of Vienna and reduces the need for time-consuming connections via Frankfurt or Zurich. Corporate travel buyers, however, should prepare for tighter seat inventories during peak holiday periods because the frequencies are still lower than pre-crisis levels and leisure demand remains strong.
Ticket sales for the new routes open on 6 November 2025. Austrian stressed that all flights will be operated with Airbus A320-neos equipped with the new ‘Green Fit’ lightweight cabin, lowering per-seat CO₂ output by up to 20 % – an increasingly important KPI for ESG-minded corporate customers.
The move is a direct response to the announced downsizing by low-cost rivals Wizz Air and Ryanair in Vienna. Chief Commercial Officer Michael Trestl said the carrier is “seizing the opportunity created by capacity gaps” and aims to protect Vienna’s hub status by capturing both visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) and high-yield corporate traffic that previously gravitated to low-cost competitors.
Behind the scenes, the network planners have prioritised morning departures and evening returns on most of the new sectors to maximise feed for the airline’s long-haul bank. Austrian estimates that 35 % of the seats will be sold as part of through itineraries to North America and Asia, underpinning connectivity that is critical for Vienna-based multinationals such as OMV, Erste Group and Verbund.
For mobility managers the announcement offers additional non-stop options out of Vienna and reduces the need for time-consuming connections via Frankfurt or Zurich. Corporate travel buyers, however, should prepare for tighter seat inventories during peak holiday periods because the frequencies are still lower than pre-crisis levels and leisure demand remains strong.
Ticket sales for the new routes open on 6 November 2025. Austrian stressed that all flights will be operated with Airbus A320-neos equipped with the new ‘Green Fit’ lightweight cabin, lowering per-seat CO₂ output by up to 20 % – an increasingly important KPI for ESG-minded corporate customers.
