Austrian Airlines spruces up fleet: from June 15 to North America, Dreamliners enter service
A revolution begins at Austrian Airlines, one of the companies with the oldest long-haul fleet. The three [...]
Austrian Airlines
Star Alliance
VIE
United States of America
Revolution begins at home Austrian Airlines, one of the companies with the older long-haul fleet. The three Boeing 767-300ERs and the six Boeing 777-200ERs. Flying from Vienna to North America and Asia. have an average age of 24 years.
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But since the June 15, and even more so by the July 1, the fleet will begin to rejuvenate. Those are, those, the dates when the Austrian company will put into service its first two Boeing 787-9s, of the ten that are expected in the fleet between now and 2028.
The first will fly from Vienna to New York JFK six times a week starting June 15. The second from Vienna to Chicago O'Hare, also six times a week, starting July 1. At Austrian, they confirm the arrival of the two Dreamliners (on the other hand, the flights can already be purchased on their website), but remain very buttoned up about their 'origin'.
However, according to rumors, the first two Dreamliners (the very ones that will enter service in the summer) would be two ex-Bamboo Airways, the Vietnamese airline that discontinued intercontinental connections last fall.
While the next five specimens would arrive From the 'parent company' Lufthansa. These are the five Boeing 787-9s that Lufthansa acquired between 2022 and 2023 by taking over an order that had been placed by China's Hainan Airlines.
All will, of course, be repainted on the outside with the Austrian company's livery and customized on the inside with its colors, according to what could be called a 'thrifty' renewal of the Austrian fleet.
It is unclear where the next Dreamliners will come from, but the most likely assumption is that they will be new examples, with the new cabins, acquired as part of the mega-order placed by Lufthansa with Boeing. And that the earlier examples are at that point retrofitted with the new interiors.
Thus, the cabin of the two 787-9s that will enter service in early summer from Vienna to New York and Chicago is as follows: In front is a Business Class With an 'inverted herringbone' seating arrangement from 4 seats per row (1+2+1) for a total of 26 seats. The seats are Aerospace Collins Super Diamond fully lie-flat (the same model found on ITA Airways' A350-900s, which also come from a Hainan Airlines order) with a seat width of 53 centimeters and one 17.5-inch inflight entertainment screen.
Behind it will be a booth of Premium Economy with 21 Collins Aerospace MiQ seats in a 2+3+2 configuration, a 47-centimeter seat and a 13-inch IFE screen. The three rows will have a space between them of 96 centimeters.
In Economy, finally, are installed 247 Recaro seats CL3710 in a configuration from 9 seats per row (3+3+3), with a space between rows of 79 centimeters. The seat is 43.5 cm and the IFE screen is 9 in.. The seats on board are, in total, 294.
