Regardless of the fact that the de Havilland Dash 8-400 is currently the backbone of Austrian Airlines' short-haul fleet, the company is sticking to the phase-out schedule. The era of turboprop aircraft is set to end at the end of March 2021. It will be some time before the last Dash is flown out.
There are currently eight DHC Dash 8-400s in active regular service with the AUA. The machine type is used on almost all routes that can be reached with the range of this pattern. Demand is currently so low that even the second smallest aircraft in the fleet, the Embraer 195, is too big. Often there is a yawning emptiness in the turboprops, but the operating costs are significantly lower - in direct comparison with the Embraer 195. This means that the dash is more cost-effective for the AUA.
Within the company, many employees cannot understand why the only type of machine that can be operated reasonably economically should be withdrawn from use at the end of March 2021. This step was announced last year, arguing that, for example, the Airbus A320 can be operated more economically due to the higher seating capacity. In the meantime, the conditions have changed fundamentally, because on many routes only a few passengers "get lost" in Austrian Airlines aircraft. While there is hope that the situation could ease in the summer, there is still a long way to go.
“We plan to take the aircraft out of operations at the end of March. There is no fixed date for the official last flight. Until the last machine leaves us, it will be October / November. The phase-out checks and transfer flights will then be carried out bit by bit, ”said a spokeswoman for Austrian Airlines.
When asked whether the company would leave it open that the DHC Dash 8-400 might be retired a few weeks or months later, the media officer replied to Aviation Direct: “At the moment, the end of March is the end of March. Ops for all Dash Turboprops. There is nothing to be shaken about the decision ”.
This could mean that Austrian Airlines will fly even more empty seats through Europe on some routes from April 2021, because the next largest model has 120 seats and requires significantly more fuel. According to the AUA homepage, the DHC Dash 8-400 has 76 seats for passengers. The bottom line is that higher costs could result in more losses when demand is low.
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