In April 2023, Austrian Airlines revealed plans to refresh its long haul fleet, replacing its existing wide body aircraft with Boeing 787s. I wanted to share an update on this, as the first Dreamliner is now weeks from entering service, and we know what to expect.
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Austrian replacing 767s & 777s with 787s
Austrian’s active long haul fleet currently consists of nine aircraft, including three Boeing 767-300ERs and six Boeing 777-200ERs. In order to modernize its fleet, Austrian will be taking delivery of 11 Boeing 787-9s. So that means the airline is not only refreshing its long haul fleet, but is also expanding it, which is pretty exciting.
The plan is for all Boeing 787 Dreamliners to join Austrian’s fleet between 2024 and 2028, at which point previous generation long haul aircraft will be fully retired.
Austrian’s 767s are an average of around 24 years old, while Austrian’s 777s are an average of around 23 years old, so it’s good that there are firm plans to replace these aircraft, and to even grow the long haul fleet by two frames.
For context on this aircraft acquisition, Lufthansa Group (the parent company of Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels) has ordered dozens of Boeing 787-9s, Airbus A350-900s, and Airbus A350-1000s. The company didn’t initially reveal exactly which planes would go to which airlines, though as time has gone on, we’ve learned more and more about what to expect.
So far, here’s what we know about how these plane orders will be allocated:
- All Airbus A350-1000s will be operated by Lufthansa, and will be flown out of Munich with first class
- At least five Airbus A350-900s will be operated by SWISS, replacing Airbus A340-300s
- Lufthansa will operate the majority of Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 787-9s, though the exact number remains to be seen
- Austrian will get 11 Boeing 787-9s, though most of these aren’t part of the new aircraft orders, as I’ll explain below
Austrian will fly 787s as of May 2024
We’re just weeks away from Austrian starting flights with its Boeing 787s. When it comes to long haul flights, the following routes will be the first to get the new aircraft:
- As of June 15, 2024, Austrian will start flying the 787 between Vienna (VIE) and New York (JFK) on the OS87/88 frequency
- As of July 1, 2024, Austrian will start flying the 787 between Vienna (VIE) and Chicago (ORD) on the OS65/66 frequency
Even ahead of that, though, on regional routes we’ll start to see some crew familiarization flights with these new Boeing 787s:
- As of May 17, 2024, Austrian will start flying the 787 between Vienna (VIE) and Frankfurt (FRA) on the OS209/210 frequency
- As of May 17, 2024, Austrian will start flying the 787 between Vienna (VIE) and Berlin (BER) on the OS233/234 frequency
It’s cool to think that by this summer, two of Austrian’s transatlantic routes will be operated by more modern aircraft. If you ask me, Austrian is the Lufthansa Group airline with the best business class soft product. Austrian has exceptional inflight catering, with an onboard chef, an amazing coffee menu, and delicious food. When the airline also has new seats, it’ll be a force to be reckoned with across the Atlantic.
Austrian’s first two 787s are former Bamboo Airways jets
The first two Boeing 787s that Austrian has taken delivery of are former Bamboo Airways jets. For context, the Vietnamese airline has been undergoing a restructuring, and has dumped all of its Boeing 787s. So Austrian has now taken delivery of two of these jets, with the registration codes OE-LPL and OE-LPM.
The planes will feature the same cabin layout, with 294 seats, including 26 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 247 economy seats. This is a fairly recent development, as Austrian only decided to expand its long haul fleet in this way in the past several months.
You can read my review of Bamboo Airways’ 787 business class here.
Austrian’s next five 787s are former Lufthansa jets
The next five Boeing 787s that Austrian takes delivery of also won’t be new aircraft. Instead, they’ll be aircraft that are transfered from Lufthansa. Lufthansa has acquired five Boeing 787-9s that were initially intended for Hainan Airlines, and these planes have a totally different onboard product, as Lufthansa didn’t customize it to its own experience.
So you can expect these planes to eventually join Austrian’s fleet, though we don’t know about the timeline just yet. The initial plan was for them to join Austrian’s fleet in 2024, though due to Lufthansa’s own delivery delays, that might be pushed back quite a bit.
The planes will feature the same cabin layout as the former Bamboo Airways jets, with 294 seats, including 26 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 247 economy seats.
You can read my review of Lufthansa’s 787 business class here.
What about Austrian’s other four 787s?
We know what to expect from Austrian’s first seven Boeing 787s, though one question as of now is what happens with Austrian’s other four Boeing 787s, since those are being acquired new. As of now, the airline is simply stating that the Boeing 787s will feature an “innovative cabin concept” that “enhances comfort for guests.”
As we know, Lufthansa is rolling out a new business class product, known as Allegris. This is launching in the coming days, first being installed on some newly delivered Airbus A350-900s, and then on some newly delivered Boeing 787-9s.
SWISS plans to introduce the same product on its Airbus A350-900s, except with SWISS branding, and the product will be known as SWISS Senses.
However, as of now there hasn’t been any public commitment to Austrian getting the same product. In terms of efficiency, you’d think that Austrian would just get the same seats with its own finishes, but that’s not confirmed one way or another.
Regardless, we’re probably a couple of years off from finding out, since it’ll probably be 2026 before the airline takes delivery of its actual first “new” 787. But it’s very possible that Austrian’s 787 fleet will have two different business class products.
Bottom line
Austrian Airlines is in the process of acquiring 11 Boeing 787s, with the first 787 entering service soon, and the last one entering service in 2028. These planes will be used to refresh the carrier’s long haul fleet, and to replace existing 767s and 777s.
The first two 787s to join Austrian’s fleet are former Bamboo Airways jets, the next five 787s to join Austrian’s fleet are former Lufthansa jets, and then the remaining four 787s should be new jets (though who really knows). The two former Bamboo Airways jets are currently being prepared for entry into service, and will commence crew training flights in May 2024, and long haul flights in June 2024.
What do you make of Austrian’s long haul fleet renewal plans?
Honestly I love Austrian Airlines and their inflight products are wonderful. The weakest part is the lame amenity kit, but catering is always a treat. With these direct aisle access business class seats, I am more than happy. They are never going to be a super luxurious airline, so I am happy for them to keep in this lane. Lufthansa is just plain awful when it comes to business class, so Austrian should just keep...
Honestly I love Austrian Airlines and their inflight products are wonderful. The weakest part is the lame amenity kit, but catering is always a treat. With these direct aisle access business class seats, I am more than happy. They are never going to be a super luxurious airline, so I am happy for them to keep in this lane. Lufthansa is just plain awful when it comes to business class, so Austrian should just keep it simple. 1-2-1 is good enough and maybe for their new fleet, they can use a more updated seat with better padding and entertainment system and WIFI.
Lufthansa is a total mess, they should've sent these Hainan aircraft directly to Austrian or Brussels, even Swiss and call it a day, the introduction of the 787 was a real mess, second hand aircraft, no new cabins, no new product, it was stupid, they should have introduced Allegris on the A350 years ago, they should be retrofitting planes with a new Allegris version by now, introducing doors and a more snazzy cabin. I can't...
Lufthansa is a total mess, they should've sent these Hainan aircraft directly to Austrian or Brussels, even Swiss and call it a day, the introduction of the 787 was a real mess, second hand aircraft, no new cabins, no new product, it was stupid, they should have introduced Allegris on the A350 years ago, they should be retrofitting planes with a new Allegris version by now, introducing doors and a more snazzy cabin. I can't believe Allegris already looks outdated and far behind the likes of new Cathay, American and Qatar suites, heck even Delta is considering a new uodated cabin with new colors and patterns. From first reviews on other blogs and videos on youtube Allegris looks middle of the road and very dull. It's so sad to see Lufthansa so far behind JAL, ANA and even Qantas, their cabins are and will be superior. I can't see how they could even consider an Allegris version for Austrian, hopefully Austrian planes get any new seat on the market and avoid this horrible Lufthansa cabins. I can't believe Lufthansa has paid millions to come up with such horrendous business class and color scheme. I don't really see how Lufthansa could compete with the likes of Air France, Turkish and Cathay up coming products. Big mistake, probably the biggest mistake on Lufthansa's history. I hope Austrian and Brussels get new generation aircraft with decent cabins on the near future but I doubt they come up with something good or new. It's sad Austrian and Brussels always get the leftovers.
I believe the decision was made like this due to Lufthansa's fleet planning and the constant manufacturing delays of the Allegris seats. All of the 5 Lufthansa 787-9s that are due to transfer and the 2 acquired from Bamboo Airways were all originally built for Hainan Airlines. Thus, they have the same cabin configuration C26W21Y247 with Collins Aerospace Super Diamond for Business, Collins Aerospace MiQ for Premium Economy, and Recaro CL3710 for Economy. Considering the...
I believe the decision was made like this due to Lufthansa's fleet planning and the constant manufacturing delays of the Allegris seats. All of the 5 Lufthansa 787-9s that are due to transfer and the 2 acquired from Bamboo Airways were all originally built for Hainan Airlines. Thus, they have the same cabin configuration C26W21Y247 with Collins Aerospace Super Diamond for Business, Collins Aerospace MiQ for Premium Economy, and Recaro CL3710 for Economy. Considering the delays of the Allegris seats, purchasing/transferring those 7 787-9s will be the quickest way to upgrade Austrian's wide-body fleet while maintaining consistent product offerings. Aside from this, the current 5 Lufthansa 787-9s are equipped with GEnx engines, while the future new aircraft will be equipped with RR's Trent 1000. Transferring these planes to Austrian will help Lufthansa to streamline its 787 fleet operations.
I really hope OS will add MIA back… Feels like it should be the next “best” opportunity to bring back to the transatlantic mix. Any thoughts on its return?
I hope Austrian starts flying to Miami again with their widebody aircraft count increasing.
Is there a chance that someone high up at Austrian had the good sense to resist the absurd Allegris, in the hope that by the time they had to deal with it, Lufthansa may have been forced to change plans, or at least admit that it needs rethinking? In this case, getting the short end of the stick with the second hand jets might start to look like getting the best deal in the end…
As the eternal “black sheep” of the network airlines, Austrian is happy to finally get replacements for their 777/767. By the time they announced the long haul fleet plans it was already clear that Lufthansa would be getting the Hainansa so why would they pay to change out the perfectly fine interior, especially since AUA has to pay for it all at the end of the day. Also thanks to the Allegris delays, Lufthansa is...
As the eternal “black sheep” of the network airlines, Austrian is happy to finally get replacements for their 777/767. By the time they announced the long haul fleet plans it was already clear that Lufthansa would be getting the Hainansa so why would they pay to change out the perfectly fine interior, especially since AUA has to pay for it all at the end of the day. Also thanks to the Allegris delays, Lufthansa is only receiving 4 787 this year which means AUA isn’t getting the Hainansas anytime soon.