Winter 2021/22 flight schedule: new destinations and frequency increases at Vienna Airport – destination offering close to 90% of the pre-crisis level in 2019

The winter flight schedule for the 2021/22 season will take effect on 31 October 2021. In addition to new destinations and frequency increases, several airlines are also offering flight services on routes which were temporarily suspended in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Austrian Airlines is launching flights to Cancún in Mexico and thus offers three sunny long-haul destinations to escape from the chilly weather, namely Malé on the Maldives and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean alongside Cancún. Wizz Air and Ryanair are expanding their route network from Vienna by adding a total of thirteen destinations. Aegean, Air Cairo, Corendon Airlines, Jet2.com, Pegasus Airlines, Sunexpress, Transavia France and Volotea are once again operating flights to and from Vienna. The destinations of Toronto with Air Canada, Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines, Abu Dhabi with Etihad and Jeddah with SAUDIA will once again be accessible from Vienna starting with the new winter flight schedule. Accordingly, by offering flight service to 150 destinations in the winter 2021/22 flight schedule, Vienna Airport is already close to 90% of the pre-crisis offering of 172 destinations in 2019.

“The winter flight schedule makes us cautiously optimistic that the offering of flight destinations from Vienna is growing again. This coming winter about 90% of the travel destinations which were offered from Vienna Airport before the coronavirus crisis can once again be reached via direct flights. Moreover, new destinations are also represented, including Cancún, Abu Dhabi, Akaba, Banja Luka and Lappeenranta in Finland. The planning and announcements made by the airline also give us hope for 2022. We expect a significant recovery of passenger volumes when the next summer flight schedule comes into effect in the spring of 2022,” states Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

Destination offering recovers and is close to the pre-crisis level
At present direct flight service is available from Vienna to 150 destinations, so that Vienna Airport has now reached close to 90% of the pre-crisis level. In comparison, 172 destinations were included in the 2019/20 winter flight schedule. On balance, with the addition of Cancún in Mexico, a total of seven transatlantic destinations are now being served from Vienna, along with 125 European destinations, comprised of 84 destinations in Western Europe and 41 in Eastern Europe. This development underlines the important flight hub function of Vienna Airport in the heart of Europe.

Austrian Airlines resumes flight service to Cancún for the first time since 2006
Three popular long-haul destinations can be reached from Vienna Airport with Austria’s home carrier starting at the end of October 2021. After a break of fifteen years, Austrian Airlines is offering flight service again to Cancún in Mexico, along with Malè on the Maldives and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, similar to last winter. The long-haul flight connections to Montreal in Canada as well as Chicago, New York and Washington in the USA are available to passengers all year long.

Wizz Air resumes flight service to numerous destinations along with four new ones
Flights from Vienna to Marrakech (MA), Amman (JO), Akaba (JO) and Sharm El Sheikh (EG) will be offered by Wizz Air for the first time starting after the turn of the new year. In addition, the airline will once again serve Eindhoven (NL), Kharkov (UA), Kutaisi (GE) and Las Palmas (ES) in its winter flight schedule. Existing frequencies to Tel Aviv (IL), Cologne (DE), Bari (IT), Tenerife (ES), Tuzla (BA) and Varna (BG) will be increased.

Ryanair serves nine new destinations and increases frequencies
The destinations of Marseille (FR), Danzig (PL), Agadir (MA), Lappeenranta (FI), Pisa (IT), Banja Luka (BA), Kosice (SK), Zaragoza (ES) and Amman (JO) have been added to Ryan Air’s flight offering from Vienna in the winter flight schedule. Frequencies to Stockholm (SE), Brussels (BE), Bologna and Naples (IT), Kyiv (UA), Riga (LV), Tenerife (ES) and Billund (DK) will be raised by Ryanair.

Many airlines are returning to Vienna with flight connections
Starting in October, Air Serbia will operate flights to Kraljevo (RS) once again, and Transavia France will fly to Paris-Orly (FR), whereas Volotea is resuming flight service to Nantes (FR) in November and Jet2.com will offer several Christmas flights from Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Leeds/Bradford (GB) to Vienna. Moreover, during the course of the winter season Pegasus Airlines will also operate flights to Ankara (TR) and Rossiya to St. Petersburg (RU) on behalf of Aeroflot. Air Cairo will offer flight service to Hurghada (EG), and Corendon Airlines will serve Hurghada (EG), Izmir and Antalya (TR). Sunexpress will also raise existing frequencies to Antalya (TR), whereas British Airways and Air France will increase the number of flight connections to London-Heathrow (GB) and Paris-CDG (FR) to up to three daily flights.

Air Canada, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad and SAUDIA also included in the winter season
Etihad Airways has been operating flights from Vienna Airport since the summer of 2021, serving the Abu Dhabi (AE) – Vienna route, also in the winter months. Air Canada will offer flights once again to Toronto (CA) throughout the entire year, and SAUDIA will continue its flight service to Jeddah (SA) during the winter. Ethiopian Airlines will even increase frequencies on its flights connecting Vienna with Addis Ababa (ET).

Keep immigration and departure regulations in mind to ensure a relaxing holiday trip
Many countries such as the USA have already announced an easing of entry requirements for travellers. Nevertheless, individual regulations continue to exist across the globe. People who are properly prepared will be able to enjoy a more relaxed journey in any case. Vienna Airport recommends that travellers inform themselves about the necessary forms to be filled out as well as entry requirements before starting their journey, either contacting the airline they have booked the flight with or their travel agency.

The website of the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs provides an overview of current travel regulations at www.bmeia.gv.at/reise-services/laender. The airlines also make precise travel information available on their own websites.