Austrian Air Services

Austrian Air Services was an Austrian domestic and regional airline established to provide scheduled feeder and regional air services within Austria on behalf of Austrian Airlines. Its formal German name was Österreichischer Inlands- und Regionalflugdienst GesmbH, reflecting its original role as a domestic and regional flight operator rather than a major international carrier. The airline began operations in the early 1980s, completing its first revenue flight on 1 April 1980 after being founded on 4 February of that year. The company was initially structured as a jointly owned regional aviation enterprise. Austrian Airlines held a 26 percent stake, while the airport authorities of Austria’s five largest airports each held a 14.8 percent share. This ownership arrangement linked the carrier to the country’s principal airport infrastructure and supported the development of domestic air connections. Over time, Austrian Air Services became a wholly owned subsidiary of Austrian Airlines, consolidating its role within the Austrian Airlines organization. Its scheduled network connected Vienna with Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt and Salzburg. Vienna International Airport served as the airline’s base. These routes were designed to support domestic mobility and feed traffic into Austrian Airlines’ broader network. The company’s operations were therefore closely tied to the national airline’s commercial and network-planning requirements rather than positioned as an independent, consumer-facing competitor. Austrian Air Services initially operated two Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft. From 1988, it expanded and modernized its fleet with larger Fokker 50 turboprops, which were better suited to higher-capacity regional operations. By the time the airline ceased to exist as a separate entity, its fleet comprised eight Fokker 50 aircraft. Those aircraft and the company’s other assets were transferred to Tyrolean Airways when Austrian Air Services was disestablished on 2 May 1994. The airline employed 86 people in 1993, shortly before its dissolution. Its history illustrates the consolidation of regional aviation operations within Austria during the period, with a specialized domestic carrier eventually absorbed into another airline in the Austrian Airlines orbit. Austrian Air Services is consequently a defunct airline brand rather than an operating passenger carrier today. The best-documented safety event associated with it occurred on 17 September 1984, when a Metroliner sustained damage beyond repair during a belly landing at Vienna International Airport after the landing gear failed to deploy. The eight passengers and two pilots aboard were not reported to have suffered notable injuries.

Austrian Air Services was created on 4 February 1980 as Österreichischer Inlands- und Regionalflugdienst GesmbH, a company established to operate domestic and regional air services in Austria on behalf of Austrian Airlines. It performed its first revenue flight on 1 April 1980. The original ownership model combined Austrian Airlines, which held 26 percent, with the airport authorities of Austria’s five largest airports, each holding 14.8 percent. This arrangement reflected the airline’s infrastructure-oriented role and its importance to domestic connectivity. The carrier’s network focused on scheduled routes linking Vienna with Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt and Salzburg. Vienna International Airport was its base, and the airline’s operations complemented rather than replaced those of Austrian Airlines. In later years Austrian Airlines became the company’s sole owner, bringing Austrian Air Services more closely into the national carrier’s corporate structure. The initial fleet consisted of two Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner aircraft, compact turboprops suited to short domestic sectors. From 1988 onward, the airline introduced larger Fokker 50 aircraft. The fleet had grown to eight Fokker 50s by the time the company was dissolved. In 1993, the airline employed 86 people, indicating a relatively small specialist operation focused on a limited domestic network. A significant operational event occurred on 17 September 1984. A Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner registered OE-LSA made a belly landing at Vienna International Airport after the landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft was written off, but the eight passengers and two pilots were not reported to have suffered notable injuries. Austrian Air Services ceased to exist as a separate airline on 2 May 1994. Its assets were incorporated into Tyrolean Airways, including the eight Fokker 50 aircraft then associated with the carrier. The dissolution marked the end of a distinct Austrian Air Services brand and the consolidation of its regional operating resources within another airline connected to Austrian Airlines. It is therefore best understood as a historical Austrian regional airline and feeder operator, not as a current passenger-airline brand.

• 1994

  Dissolution and integration

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Austrian Air Services was disestablished on 2 May, and its assets were integrated into Tyrolean Airways.

• 1993

  Workforce recorded at 86 employees

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline employed 86 people during the year preceding its dissolution.

• 1988

  Fokker 50 fleet expansion

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline began expanding its fleet with larger Fokker 50 regional turboprops.

• 1984

  Metroliner belly landing

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Aircraft OE-LSA was damaged beyond repair at Vienna International Airport after its landing gear failed to deploy. No notable injuries were reported among the occupants.

• 1980

  Company founded

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Austrian Air Services was established on 4 February as Österreichischer Inlands- und Regionalflugdienst GesmbH.

• 1980

  First revenue flight

  [1]Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline began revenue operations on 1 April, serving Austrian domestic and regional markets on behalf of Austrian Airlines.

A domestic and regional feeder airline supporting Austrian Airlines’ network and connecting Vienna with major Austrian cities.

• Passenger airline services · 1980

  Domestic scheduled passenger services

  Austrian Air Services operated scheduled domestic flights within Austria, linking Vienna with Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt and Salzburg. The service was structured around short-haul regional connectivity and supported Austrian Airlines’ wider network rather than functioning as a large independent international airline.

• Airline network services · 1980

  Regional feeder operations

  The airline provided regional flying on Austrian Airlines’ behalf. Its turboprop fleet and Vienna base enabled it to connect smaller Austrian markets with the national carrier’s principal hub and broader scheduled network.

• 1994

  Integration into Tyrolean AirwaysStrategy

  Background

  Austrian Air Services had operated as a specialized domestic and regional carrier within the Austrian Airlines structure. By 1994, its separate corporate operation was ended.

  Action taken

  The company was disestablished on 2 May 1994, with its assets transferred to Tyrolean Airways. The eight Fokker 50 aircraft in its fleet were acquired by Tyrolean Airways.

  Aftermath

  Austrian Air Services ceased to operate as an independent brand, while its aircraft and assets continued within Tyrolean Airways.

  Source

1. 1Austrian Air Servicesen.wikipedia.org