The German ACMI and charter provider Leav Aviation is currently assisting the Austrian regional airline Peoples, whose only aircraft is unavailable due to a technical defect. Temporarily, all Peoples flights will be operated from Friedrichshafen instead of Altenrhein.
A few days ago, the Austrian aviation company land in Zurich unexpectedly due to a technical problemSo far, this Embraer 170, which is also the only aircraft of the small Austrian airline, has not been able to return to scheduled service. Therefore, Peoples management had to resort to a wet lease and opted for a significantly larger Airbus A320, operated by Leav Aviation, than its own aircraft.
D-ANDI has been operating on behalf of Peoples since May 13, 2025. However, this also has "side effects" for everyone involved, for which the German aviation company is completely unaware, as the runway in Altenrhein is simply too short to safely operate the Airbus A320. Therefore, the flights operated by Leav Aviation on behalf of Peoples have been relocated to the other side of Lake Constance, to Friedrichshafen.
Airbus A320 “too big” for Altenrhein
Specifically, this means that all flights that were originally scheduled to depart from Altenrhein will depart from Friedrichshafen until further notice. However, there is one special feature: simply flying to the competing airport in Germany is not possible. Travelers are asked to continue checking in in Altenrhein. From there, they will then travel by coach to Friedrichshafen Airport. The consequence is that travel times may be significantly longer.
Passengers traveling without checked baggage and using online check-in can travel directly to Friedrichshafen. It is currently unclear how long Leav Aviation will assist Peoples. Peoples will inform affected passengers accordingly. The carrier is temporarily requesting that travelers arrive at Altenrhein Airport earlier than usual. The service hotline is available for questions during normal business hours.
Leav and Peoples at a glance
Peoples is the only Austrian regional airline and a sister company of Altenrhein Airport. Both companies are privately owned. The fleet currently consists of one Embraer 170. The airline briefly operated two aircraft of this type, but the second was eventually retired. Its core business is the "air bridge" between Vorarlberg (operated from Altenrhein, Switzerland) and Vienna. During the summer months, the airline also offers flights to numerous vacation destinations in cooperation with local tour operators.
Leav Aviation is a young German aviation company specializing in ACMI and charter services. Occasionally, it also offers individual scheduled flights on its own account. Its two Airbus A320s are registered D-ANDI and D-ANNE. This carrier's main business model is to assist other airlines—for industry-standard fees—when they experience bottlenecks or cancellations. So far, Leav Aviation has been quite successful, as it can keep the two aircraft in the air almost continuously on behalf of its customers through ad-hoc charters.
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