The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for Austrian Airlines has arrived at Vienna Airport (VIE). The aircraft is the first of ten of the type that will enter service with the carrier in the next four years to replace the carrier’s aging fleet of Boeing 767s and 777s.
In April 2023, the Austrian flag carrier and member of the Lufthansa Group announced it would be adding ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet, some of which will be transferred from the German parent carrier, while others will be acquired from leasing firms.
The first aircraft (carrying registration OE-LPL) was delivered to the airline in an all-white livery on May 14, 2024, following a ferry flight from Teruel Airport in Spain where the aircraft has been in storage. The new addition to the Austrian fleet will enter service with the carrier on Friday, May 17, 2024, operating from Vienna to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany, the home of Lufthansa.
For the rest of May, the aircraft will be used for crew familiarisation flights, operating across Austrian’ short-haul network to destinations such as Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and Marrakesh Airport (RAK) in Morrocco.
During its first few weeks flying these shorter services, the 787 is scheduled to operate 50 sectors in total. The plane will then enter service on Austrian’s flagship US service, flying from Vienna to New York from June 15. 2024. Later that month, the aircraft will also make an appearance on the carrier’s Vienna to Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) service.
According to data obtained from ch-aviation, the aircraft is 4.5 years old, having originally been delivered to Vietnam-based Bamboo Airlines in January 2020. With that carrier deciding to cease all long-haul flying in November 2023, the aircraft was ferried to Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain, a facility that offers aircraft storage solutions to airlines and leasing firms. The plane was officially handed over to Austrian in February 2024 but remains under the ownership of leasing firm CALC.
OE-LPL will enter service with Austrian in a three-class configuration that offers accommodation for 294 passengers – 26 in business class, 21 in premium economy, and 247 in economy. This compares to the carrier’s current three 767-300ERs and six 777-200ERs that carry 211 and 330 passengers, respectively.
Meanwhile, Austrian’s second Dreamliner (OE-LPM) was also registered with the carrier in February 2024 and was ferried from storage at Lourdes-Tarbes Airport (LDE) in France to Vienna on March 26, 2024. Of an equal age to its sistership (4.5 years), this aircraft also previously served with Bamboo Airways until November 2023. The aircraft has been in Taipei, Taiwan since April 16. 2024 where it is undergoing maintenance before entering service with Austrian.