The flying personnel of Austrian Airlines will receive vaccinations against the coronavirus with immediate effect. The start of company immunizations, originally planned for April 2021, was initially postponed by the responsible health authority of the state of Lower Austria.

The new start date - May 6, 2021 - was most recently subject to the final decision of the office. This gave the green light so that the first AUA employees who were flying received their first vaccination on Thursday. The moderna vaccine is to be used primarily, but neither the state of Lower Austria nor the airline itself provided specific information about the vaccine. Allocation is made by the authority based on availability.

A spokesman for Austrian Airlines confirmed to Aviation Direct that the vaccination campaign for flight personnel started on Thursday. The media officer said: "The vaccinations for the flying personnel of Austrian Airlines started today as planned". First of all, it is the turn of flight attendants and pilots, as they have a higher professional activity abroad and, in the case of cabin crew, there is also direct customer contact.

The federal states responsible for the implementation of the Austrian vaccination campaign are now promoting so-called company vaccinations in Phase III of the national plan. This sub-area also includes the immunizations of AUA employees flying as well as employees of other transport companies. It is not yet the turn of the ground staff of Austrian Airlines, but it can be assumed that a similar action is being prepared under the supervision of the State of Lower Austria.