Austrian Airlines accelerates fleet, manpower cuts
As travel restrictions and a slower-than-hoped-for recovery continue to affect European airlines, Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) has announced that it will reduce both its fleet and workforce more than previously planned. The carrier said that it would increase the number of aircraft in long-term storage by two Airbus narrowbodies, decreasing its medium-term fleet target from 60 to 58 active aircraft. It did not go into details regarding the variant of the aircraft to be grounded. However, since it previously announced plans to retire all A319-100s, they will be either A320-200s, A321-100s, or A321-200s.
The aircraft will not be formally phased out and could be reactivated around 2024-25, depending on demand. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Austrian Airlines currently operates 78 aircraft, down from 84 before the COVID-19 pandemic. This number includes 42 Airbus narrowbodies: seven A319s, twenty-nine A320s, three A321-100s, and three A321-200s. The carrier also operates eight DHC-8-Q400s, which are slated for an imminent phase-out, seventeen E190s, five B767-300(ER)s (of which two will shortly be retired), and six B777-200(ER)s.
CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech underlined that the incremental reduction of the fleet size would necessitate further job cuts. Austrian Airlines has downsized its workforce by 650 since the beginning of the crisis without any involuntary layoffs. The chief executive said that the new plan would call for another 650 redundancies by 2023, adding that the carrier would strive to avoid any involuntary layoffs through a mix of natural attrition and part-time work. However, it is unlikely Austrian will reach that number of cuts without forced layoffs. As a part of cost-saving measures, the airline also announced that it would halve its office space at its headquarters near Vienna airport by terminating the lease on four out of its current eight floors. Despite the current gloom, the airline said that early bookings for summer travel were very good, allowing some optimism for the coming months.