The airline Austrian Airlines was able to increase its adjusted EBIT to 2023 million euros in the 127 financial year. Sales rose by 25 percent to 2.346 million euros. With 13,9 million passengers, there were 24 percent more travelers on board. However, the level of the record year 2019 could not yet be reached. At that time there were 14,7 million passengers.

The strong financial figures of Austrian Airlines are mainly due to the fact that there was high demand in the previous year and at the same time the carrier managed to achieve significantly higher ticket prices. In 2023, Austrian Airlines annual sales increased from 1,871 billion euros in the previous year to 2,346 billion euros (+25 percent). At 2,406 billion euros, total revenue was 23 percent higher and total expenses were 2,279 percent higher than the previous year at 17 billion euros. The adjusted EBIT of Austrian Airlines was 127 million euros, in 2022 it was 3 million euros. As of December 31, 2023, Austrian Airlines employed 6.121 people (+8 percent).

The supply of seat kilometers increased by around a quarter to 2023 billion over the course of 25,4 (2022: 21,7 billion seat kilometers). The occupancy rate in 2023 was 81,9 percent, 2,5 percentage points above the value from 2022 (79,4 percent). 98,9 percent of Austrian Airlines' flight schedule was flown regularly.

“We worked hard as a team, achieved top levels of regularity and punctuality and demand was high. The very good annual result triggers a profit-sharing distribution totaling more than 30 million euros to all employees, thus honoring the fact that this success was of course achieved together as a team,” says Austrian Airlines CEO Annette Mann happily. “However, the general conditions in the aviation industry and at the location remain challenging due to geopolitical uncertainties and various political decisions. Overall, we were very satisfied with 2023, but we will have to do a lot to ensure that this success does not remain a one-hit wonder.”

The first two long-haul Boeing 2024-787 aircraft are scheduled to be taken over in March 9. These are leasing machines that were previously used by Bamboo Airways. After short-haul training flights, the two aircraft are expected to be integrated into the long-haul network to North America in early summer. The AUA long-haul fleet will grow to 11 aircraft, and the entire existing fleet will then consist of 68 aircraft. By 2028, Austrian will receive nine more Dreamliners, which will gradually replace Austrian's existing long-haul jets from the B777 and B767 families.

In the short and medium-haul sector, Austrian Airlines has fleeted a total of five Airbus A2022neo since October 320. These have since been put into regular service. “In addition to the gradual modernization and expansion of our fleet, we are pleased about top punctuality values ​​in 2023. Last year we were in third place among the most punctual airlines in Europe. This makes us proud as a team and underlines our reliability towards our guests,” explains COO Francesco Sciortino.

The route network was expanded to include the destinations Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Seville in the 2023/24 winter flight schedule. In the summer of 2023, Porto, Marseille and Vilnius were added or reactivated. The existing offering will also be expanded in 2024. The 2024 summer flight schedule will include the continental destinations Bremen and Tbilisi in Georgia. With the new long-haul destination Boston from summer 2024, Austrian is further expanding its presence at Vienna Airport. In the future, Boston will be served as a year-round destination and served up to six times a week. The long-haul network will thus be expanded to 19 destinations. In 2024 as a whole, the carrier will offer a total of 125 destinations.

“With our new destinations, we will be offering our guests an even larger destination portfolio, more flights and an extremely attractive range of flights in 2024. One thing is clear: Austrian is and remains the clear number 1 in Vienna. North America will continue to be our long-haul focus and the first guests will soon take off on our new long-haul aircraft,” explains Chief Commercial Officer Michael Trestl.

“We started the new year stronger with tailwind from 2023. But 2023 shouldn't be a one-hit wonder! We must make every effort to survive in international competition. The issues of inflation and location costs in Austria require discipline and planning. Every additional percentage point of inflation in Austria costs us 25 million euros per year. As an airline, we face global competition and therefore have to keep our ticket prices attractive for our international guests,” emphasizes Annette Mann. In the coming years, Austrian will invest around three billion euros (list price) in view of the fleet modernization on long-haul routes. “We don’t just want to maintain our leading position, we want to expand it. This is also necessary in order to be able to finance the high investments in our fleet and further growth,” concluded Annette Mann.

The AUA figures at a glance:

The most important figures for 2023 at a glance (rounded)

The most important figures for the fourth quarter of 2023 in Overview (rounded)