Summary

  • Austrian Airlines now has two of its 11 planned Boeing 787-9s.
  • They are operating to Frankfurt (for crew training), New York JFK, and Chicago O’Hare this summer.
  • The schedule changes considerably in the winter.

Austrian Airlines has six Boeing 777-200ERs (averaging 23.5 years), three 767-300ERs (24.7 years), and, for now, two 787-9s (4.7 years). The pair of 787s was initially ordered by Hainan Airlines but not used. Instead, they were part of the Bamboo Airways fleet. Each aircraft has 294 seats: 26 in business, 21 in premium economy, and 247 in regular economy.

Austrian plans 11 787s by 2028 to replace the significantly older and less efficient Boeing equipment. Lower fuel consumption will transform long-haul route economics, offset by higher ownership costs. The next five aircraft will be transferred from Lufthansa, with the remaining four to be delivered new.

OS 787-9 OE-LPM landing

Photo: Austrian Airlines

A quick look at the two aircraft

Flightradar24 shows that Austrian welcomed the arrival of OE-LPM from Teruel on June 20, where it was temporarily stored. It arrived at the Spanish airport from Taipei, where it had undergone maintenance and modifications. On June 21, the day I researched and wrote this article, it entered revenue-generating service to Düsseldorf and Frankfurt for crew training reasons.

OS 787-9 OE-LPL

Photo: Austrian Airlines

Why is OE-LPL all-white? According to Austrian, the color scheme was chosen at a time when there was no collective bargaining agreement with the crew, and, as such, the company’s growth plans were at risk. It is unclear when it will be repainted in the airline’s livery, as OE-LPM is.

Where are they flying this summer?

From June 21 until October 26, the last day of the northern aviation summer season based on IATA slot seasons, Austrian’s 787 routes are as follows:

  • Vienna-Frankfurt: daily until June 27, then twice-weekly until August 28.
  • Vienna-New York JFK: replacing the 777-200ER, it runs six weekly until October 25, with the 767-300ER taking over from October 27.
  • Vienna-Chicago O’Hare: replacing the 777-200ER, it will operate six weekly from June 28 until October 26, with the 777-200ER taking over from October 27.
OS 787-9 OE-LPM taxiing

What about in the winter?

Things will change dramatically on October 27, when northern airlines switch to winter schedules. From then on, Austrian’s current 787 plan is as follows, emphasizing Star Alliance hubs. As usual, it may change, so treat it cautiously.

  • Vienna-Newark: replacing the 777-200ER, the 787-9 will operate daily. However, the schedules show that the 767-300ER will also operate in mid-January; the 767 will mainly run four weekly and the 787 three weekly. When this happens, will another route see the 787?
  • Vienna-Washington Dulles: replacing the 767-300ER, the 787-9 will operate five times weekly and exclusively throughout the winter.

What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comments section.

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