Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, which forms part of the wider Star Alliance group and joins six Star Alliance airlines which already operate from Birmingham Airport. These airlines include Air India, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, SWISS and Turkish Airlines.

The new service improves the choice of connections for passengers travelling to Asia, particularly those looking for services to Beijing and Tokyo. Closer to home, Austrian Airlines now provide greater onward connectivity to many capital cities such as Budapest, Sofia and Zagreb, as well as popular destinations in Central and eastern Europe, plus regional connections to Graz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt.

Launched on the 1st January, the winter schedule operates four-weekly service on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. From the summer, this will increase to a daily schedule.

The flights will depart from Vienna at 11:05 hours, arriving at Birmingham Airport at 12:30 hours. Flights will then depart from Birmingham Airport at 13:15 hours, arriving in to Vienna at 16:35 hours.

Vienna is a destination known for its Viennese charm, boasting an abundance of imperial architecture, a vast range of museums and coffee shops, and is often referred to the ‘City of Music’. The city has much to offer those travelling in both the summer and winter, with the winter markets taking place in November through to December, along with temperatures in summer months reaching highs of 27 degrees.

Tom Screen, Aviation Director at Birmingham Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Austrian Airlines first flight to Vienna. With services initially operating four times a week Austrian Airlines will then grow to daily flights by summer 2020 and we look forward to welcoming yet another Star Alliance carrier to Birmingham Airport, which will provide more choice to onward destinations across Asia and Eastern Europe.”

Andreas Otto, Chief Commercial Officer at Austrian Airlines, added: “We are very pleased about the launch of our Birmingham-Vienna route. Passengers will benefit from a closer connection to our hub and an increased number of flights.”

The Austrian Airlines service, which will replace the current point to point Eurowings flights, will be operated by an Embraer 195 aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with comfortable double seating.