Austrian Airlines has recently begun operating a domestic route of just under 89 kilometers (50 miles) as the crow flies with Embraer 195 regional jets. The carrier now also flies between Klagenfurt and Graz. Is this a reaction to the opening of the Koralm Railway?
For the past few days, the travel time between Klagenfurt and Graz has been reduced by the Commissioning of the Koralm Railway The route has become considerably shorter. Although the line runs under the Styrian airport and preliminary work has been carried out for an airport station, it does not exist. Not a single Railjet to/from Klagenfurt stops at Graz Airport. Behind this lies an age-old cow trade., which was pushed through by the then Governor of Carinthia, Jörg Haider (FPÖ/BZÖ). At the time, there were concerns that Klagenfurt Airport could become completely superfluous.
Aftermath of Braathen's dismissal
Austrian Airlines has been operating regular service on the Klagenfurt-Graz route since this week. This ultra-short-haul route is typically served by Embraer 195 regional jets.on which the carrier will separate itself in the foreseeable future., for use. At first glance, it seems grotesque and absurd that Austrian Airlines (AUA) is launching new domestic flights immediately after the opening of the Koralm Railway, and on a route that is less than 89 kilometers from airport to airport. Tickets cannot yet be booked on this segment, and according to the company, this is not even planned. So what is the reason behind AUA now operating a route that is even shorter than the long-abandoned Linz-Vienna or the not entirely voluntary Salzburg-Vienna?
The carrier lacks the capacity of the three ATR72-600s that were operated by Braathens Regional under a wet lease until recently. The company has terminated its contract with the Swedish airline without notice.At least 12 destinations were served by the turboprop aircraft for Austrian Airlines (AUA). This rather surprising separation has consequences, as some flights had to be cancelled without replacement, frequencies were reduced in certain areas, and other airlines, such as Helvetic Airways with Embraer 190s and Edelweiss Air with Airbus A320s, are providing support. The E195 fleet, which is still operated in-house, is currently fully booked and thus ubiquitous in the air.
No point-to-point transport between Klagenfurt and Graz
In the case of Klagenfurt, Austrian Airlines has decided to make its direct flights to Vienna direct flights, as they now include a stopover in Graz. Unlike nonstop flights, direct flights can have any number of stopovers; the only requirement is that the flight number remains the same. The route follows the pattern Vienna-Klagenfurt-Graz-Vienna. However, no tickets are sold for the Klagenfurt-Graz segment, even though there would be no legal obstacle to doing so. Since such point-to-point flights would be taxed at well over €30 per person under the aviation policy pursued by former Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), it's hardly possible to offer attractive deals, especially given the speed of the Koralm Railway. And Austrian Airlines doesn't intend to.
"The VIE-KLU-VIE and VIE-GRZ-VIE routes were only partially covered by the Braathens wet lease for the Austrian Airlines winter schedule. Part of the route was already being served by our own Embraer aircraft. We are continuing our efforts to minimize the current impact and have already organized replacement capacity; however, given the short notice of these events, some adjustments to the flight schedule may still occur. For example, as was the case yesterday, the regional connections between Klagenfurt and Graz will be combined today – meaning one flight from Klagenfurt with a stopover in Graz and onward flight to Vienna. This is a measure we are implementing at short notice due to the termination of the Braathens wet lease. We do not plan to operate a permanent KLU-GRZ routing – it is currently only being used on a case-by-case basis to cover the existing wet-lease flights. There is also no option to book this flight," said an Austrian Airlines spokesperson.
Direct flights between Klagenfurt and Vienna via Graz are not intended to be a permanent solution. The company explains that it is already working on solutions: "We are currently working intensively to plan the coming days and weeks. The next step is to adjust the flight schedule in the medium and long term. However, we ask for your understanding that this is a dynamic process and therefore we cannot provide any concrete information at this time."