With the start of the winter flight schedule from October 27, 2024, Austrian Airlines will return to Linz and take over the Linz-Frankfurt route. This marks a significant milestone for Linz Airport and the state of Upper Austria, as the connection is of great importance for both business travelers and tourism. The flights will initially be operated three times a day with an ATR 72-600 aircraft, which offers 72 seats and is operated by Austrian Airlines' partner Braathens Regional Airlines.

Michael Trestl, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Austrian Airlines, emphasized the importance of this connection: "As a red-white-red airline, it is very important to us that Upper Austria is reconnected with Europe and the world. Efficient business travel is made possible via the Frankfurt hub. In addition, Upper Austrians can now easily reach many holiday destinations in European and long-distance traffic." This statement underlines the strategic importance of Linz Airport for Austrian Airlines and the Upper Austria region.

Support from regional representatives

Mayor Klaus Luger, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Linz GesmbH, welcomes Austrian Airlines' decision to resume the connection to Frankfurt: "The connection to Frankfurt is extremely positive news for our passengers, and especially for our economy. It is also of great importance for Linz Airport as a company." He stresses that the Linz-Frankfurt connection has played an important role in the airport's scheduled flight segment for years and that Austrian Airlines' decision underlines the importance of this route.

State Councillor for Economic Affairs Markus Achleitner, deputy chairman of the airport's supervisory board, emphasized the importance of the connection to a global hub for Upper Austria as a business location: "Many of our local companies have global business relations and are dependent on a hub connection." Achleitner explained that talks with Austrian Airlines began immediately after Lufthansa announced that it was suspending the connection. This ultimately led to the connection being resumed, which is of key importance for economic players in Upper Austria.

Norbert Draskovits, Managing Director of Linz Airport, expressed his delight at the return of Austrian Airlines: "It was important to us that Frankfurt was served three times a day in order to be able to cover as many connecting flights as possible." He further explained that the decision to serve the route with a smaller aircraft was due to the fact that demand for business travel has not yet returned to pre-crisis levels. The new flight connections will be operated in codeshare with Lufthansa. This gives passengers the opportunity to use a large number of domestic, continental and intercontinental connecting flights.

Future flight schedule and bookability

The final flight schedule will be agreed between the various stakeholders in the coming days. There may be minor changes to the flight times. As soon as the flight schedule is finalized, the flights will be bookable on the Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa websites and in travel agencies.

The resumption of the Linz-Frankfurt flight connection by Austrian Airlines represents a significant step for the regional economy and Linz Airport. It not only offers better business travel opportunities, but also improved connections to global destinations for tourists. This is another example of how regional cooperation and strategic decisions can help strengthen a region's infrastructure and economy.

The planned flight times at a glance