Late on Saturday, April 6, 2024, the Airbus A320neo with the registration OE-LZQ was seriously damaged at Vienna Airport. The plane operated by Austrian Airlines crashed into a gangway during a failed towing operation and made unpleasant acquaintance with a lighting mast.

There was serious damage to both the terminal and the Airbus A320neo. There were no passengers or crew on board at the time of the accident. The medium-haul jet was to be towed from Gate F31 to another parking position. This process failed because the OE-LZQ became “independent” for reasons that are still unclear and crashed into the masts or the passenger bridge.

The damage to the Airbus A320neo is enormous, as can be seen, for example, in the photos embedded below. The infrastructure of Austria's largest airport was also affected. It is currently unclear whether the OE-LZQ can be repaired and, if so, how long this will take. The aircraft in question is one of the youngest members of the Austrian Airlines fleet, whose fleet is otherwise quite old. It is also not yet foreseeable what measures the carrier will have to take with regard to midsummer 2024, because at the moment it cannot be ruled out that the capacity of this Airbus A320neo is not available.