Austrian Airlines is set to discontinue its long-standing Vienna – Zagreb service next year, with the carrier scheduling its final flight between the two capitals for January 10, 2027. The Star Alliance member has confirmed to EX-YU Aviation News that it will not resume operations during the 2027 summer season either. “We can confirm that our flights between Vienna and Zagreb will unfortunately not be continued for the summer period”, Austrian Airlines spokesperson, Andrea Hansal, told EX-YU Aviation News. The move will mark the airline’s departure from Zagreb after more than four decades of service, having launched flights to the Croatian capital in the mid-1980s, with interruptions during the war and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Austrian Airlines has significantly reduced its presence on the Vienna - Zagreb route in recent years. Having previously maintained up to twelve weekly flights, the carrier scaled back operations to a single daily service during the 2026 summer season, representing a 37.5% reduction in frequencies and a 27% decline in available seat capacity compared to the previous year. The airline had already begun reducing its winter operations in late 2024, cutting frequencies and introducing smaller turboprop aircraft. The reductions have coincided with an expansion by fellow Star Alliance member Croatia Airlines, which doubled its Vienna frequencies to ten weekly flights during the summer of 2026.
Croatia Airlines will continue operating between Zagreb and Vienna during the upcoming winter season, which begins this Sunday, maintaining two daily flights in line with the previous winter. In contrast, Austrian Airlines will run daily services until the route is discontinued in January. Many of its flights will be operated by wet-leased Air Dolomiti equipment.
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| Austrian Airlines magazine ad for Zagreb flights, 1986 |
The development comes as Zagreb Airport seeks to attract additional airlines and expand its network. The airport is attending the Routes World conference, currently taking place in Frankfurt, where it is represented by its President and CEO, Huseyin Bahadır Bedir, and Route Development Manager, Yavuz Aytis.
That is a high profile loss
ReplyDeleteNever mind, Ryan can take over. They will fly you to an old lady's field 340 km away from Vienna and they will call it Vienna. Serious airlines start dropping Zagreb.
DeleteWell it is not the only route lost by OS. This is the consequence of eventually operating the A320 as the smallest member of the fleet. On the other hand the transfer now goes just through the numerous other LH hubs.
DeleteIt's not a serious loss. The route still exists, Croatia Airlines flies at mostly the same times (biggest absurd of all), its still Star Alliance and you still earn/redeem miles.
DeleteMaybe they start Ljubljana instead
ReplyDeleteDoubtful with all the LH cuts there. Lufthansa Group is obviously not happy with LJU's performance.
DeleteBut LJU was bought by Fraport specifically to be monopolized by LHG airlines. 🤷♂️
DeleteI think it has nothing to do with either zagreb or Ljubljana. They are changing business model
Deletethey wont... cutting these flights are consequence of tax increase for flights under 350 km. PRG will be decreased also from 3 daily to 1 daily...
DeleteIf they are discontinuing GRZ, ZAG and KLU (in 2028), there's no chance for them launching LJU either.
Delete9:06 It’s getting old, your comments. And LJU is still a LHG monopoly.
DeleteFar from it
DeleteI am surprised it took OS so long to launch ZAG. Why did they wait until the mid 1980s? I thought the market was there to fly earlier.
ReplyDeleteAustrian Airlines is also terminating Alicante, Palermo and Marseille, these won't be returning next summer.
Austrian really started developing when Yugoslavia and the East block collapsed. During the 90s they became known as the Eastern European specialist and flew to many cities in Eastern Europe. Then came Lufthansa....
DeleteI remember in the late 1990s and early 2000s they would issue printed tickets in enveloppes on which it wrote: we fly to destinations you can't pronounce.
DeleteThen they would have a map of eastern Europe and the Balkans below.
Seems like VIE as a hub is going through a crisis. Among others Air India is also terminating DEL-VIE.
VIE passenger numbers are falling every month. The airport's CEO is constantly blaming the government because of taxes.
DeleteEuropes connectivity has changed. In the early 2000s getting to many destinations in europe's 'east' (so as not to offend the touchy ones) often invovled a one-stop via Vienna or Budapest. Nowadays places like London or Spain are connected very well directly. Vienna's days as a one-stop megahub are behind it.
Delete@anon 9:18: Today the landscape in Europe has fundamentally changed and there is WIZZ. They made the OS model obsolete.
DeleteThe OS model is not obsolete. However their costs are an issue and that is why they keep on reporting losses.
DeleteAustrian is not loss making.
Delete@10:10 its not obsolete indeed. JU have essentially emulated for the modern era what OS did in the 00s, albiet on a far smaller scale but with a tight focus on the Balkans. You are right about costs, but also Vienna's geographical location was great in the pre Wizz/FR era (as 09:56 states). But nowadays Poland/Slovakia/Romania and the Balkans are so well connected with all regions of Europe that they lost a huge their raison d'être.
DeleteIt’s not helping if the government is forcing your hand to cut regional connections. So that we’re ‘green’. It’s not like people fly KLU-VIE to get to VIE, you fly there to connect. It brings connectivity to smaller places which can’t sustain many routes. Now what, only big cities will have flights? Great for development. Meanwhile, a factory in Carinthia wanted to build a solar electricity plant next to it, and the local council didn’t allow it and told it it could asphalt it and build a parking lot instead. Madness.
DeleteThis is terrible news for Zagreb!
ReplyDeleteAfter so many companies that have left Franjo Tudjman now even big Star Alliance member is leaving.
It seems that next year won't be better for Zagreb.
Austrian is not a big Star Alliance member. It's not even in the biggest half of the Star Alliance members.
DeleteSo, it is ok to lose its flights?
DeleteSure.
For Zagreb it is certainly very big.
DeleteThat's a big win for OU.
ReplyDeleteIt is questionable. Whenever Lufthansa Group pushes a route to a feeder partner it usually means that the route is loss making.
DeleteLoss making with two airlines usually means profitable with one.
DeleteTicket prices will rise for sure.
I hope so for OU's sake but I'm not so sure. We will see especially since OU will not have Dash planes soon
DeleteOU will have another airline provide turboprop capacity.
DeleteThat's where the market is going everywhere in Europe.
Croatia Airlines might be the winner here but passengers certainly aren't. Having two airlines competing, even within the same alliance, provided more flexibility.
DeleteIt's too early
DeleteThey weren't competing. Croatia Airlines gets a fixed fee from the codeshare passengers
DeleteBravo OU, bravo Zabo, bravo Jasmine! OU won and kicked Austrian from the route!! Bravo, bravo, bravo
Deletewow. I know they have been decreasing flights the last few years but I didn't expect them to pull out completely.
ReplyDeleteHow not, they are getting rid of their E195- the Dash was a perfect route for the 300km route. Now wth the A320 being the smalles member the costs are simply too high- it is a self made problem- Graz / LJU and ZAG are too close to susatin flights on the A320.
DeleteThe A320 is going to be the smallest in their fleet? Wow, so they’ve totally given up on Austria and can easily be called Vienna Airlines.
DeleteJet fuel prices ain't coming down any time soon.
ReplyDeleteWinter is coming for commercial aviation!
Pathetic excuse.
DeleteYes and you could update your reference. The scare mongering barely works. Oil prices have been volatile on and off since 2001.
DeleteThe Lufthansa kiss of death.
ReplyDeleteNext up TAP :D
DeleteThe only strong LH daughter is Swiss...
DeleteLol pls spare us with this silly bashing
DeleteIts under LH when thry turned into black for the first time after a decade in minis
People in our region always mistake profitability for kisses of death! 😆
DeleteIt’s not silly bashing when it’s true. Only the Swiss were able to keep themselves from being utterly magled under Carsten Spohr’s constant crisis leadership. Otherwise, if you so disagree, please share with us which airline under LHG has expanded, grown and is better positioned that it was before? With its brand strenghtened and services improved? Because that’s what good leadership is supposed to provide. Saying ‘stop it’ is a child’s response.
Delete11:24 Hahahaha - not. The German model of ‘profitability’? No thanks from what I could observe on my latest trips there.
Delete@ 9:11 Don’t forget ITA. Its connections out of TRS are already worse than they were before with the prices totally unaffordable.
DeleteThere is also the Austrian 30EUR tax per passenger, for these short flights, making it costly to operate.
ReplyDeleteIts also possible to drive it easily.
DeleteThat's why I think OS should launch BNX. It doesn't fall into the category of flights shorter than 350km, so flights wouldn't be affected by that tax.
DeleteBut its hardly a gold mine. Talk about bin end returns.
DeleteExactly. And now what, each person drives 350km to Vienna to catch flights? That’s great for road congestion. Well done.
DeleteThats not how it works and you know it.
DeleteReading the last sentence, is Zagreb Airport's entire management from Turkey?
ReplyDeletePretty much. It started off with Aeroport de Paris running the show during first few years of the concession and then it was completely handed over to TAV.
Deleteunfortunately it is. TAV is turkish company with turkish people in Zagreb, they are owner of Havas, company which does handling in ZAG, also with management in Turkey and managed by turkish people. BTA is also their company, which is having a monpol in ZAG on lounge, all food and baverage, completely run by turkish as well. horible managements, far away from western standards.
DeleteBravo Turkiye!!!
Delete+100 PIR
DeleteThe same company manages the Macedonian airports and they are among the fastest growing in Europe... 🤔
DeleteAnother example of Lufthansa Group restructuring its operations and eliminating duplication between member airlines. From their perspective it probably makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense from every perspective
DeleteI don’t see it where it makes sense. I see airlines fading into oblivion.
DeleteAnd Trinity probably won't be back...
ReplyDeleteHow about waiting with your wet dreams until or if they come true?
DeleteTrinity Airways (formerly known as T’way Air) during Northern winter 2026/27 season is suspending Seoul Incheon – Frankfurt route, as this route remains unavailable for reservation during winter season as of 13OCT26.
DeleteFor the week of 18OCT26, the airline operates 4 weekly flights with A330-200 aircraft.
They can't even keep their main lines open...it's not Zagreb's fault this time
Just look at a map.
DeleteThe closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace have made flights from northeast Asia to northern Europe very long.
That's why Lufthansa is starting Seoul ops
DeleteTheir loads were not good on this route for the last year and a half. So it is not surprising.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know how many passengers on this route are actually travelling between Vienna and Zagreb and how many are connecting onwards.
DeleteProbably 20/30% max headed to Vienna.
DeleteWith the excellent motorway and relatively short driving distance between the two cities, I am surprised this route has survived for so long with two airlines competing.
ReplyDeleteClassic damage control.
DeleteNope. A fair observation. The joy of Schengen is that driving that route is easy.
DeleteAgain, wasn’t the point of these flights transfers?
DeleteAustrian was once one of the most important foreign airlines at Zagreb. Strange to think they will no longer be flying there at all.
ReplyDeleteOnce you bet on Ryanair or Wizzair, you become Skopje.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
Deleteor London Stansted, or Bergamo? Give it a rest.
DeleteYou mean, the fastest growing airport in ex-Yu? Not so bad then...
Deleteinterestingly how does it only affect poor ZAG and not BCN, MAD, FCO, LIS ...
Deletewondering wondering...
without Ryanair they would be behind Dubrovnik in pax numbers
I know right. Ryanair is OK for the wealthiest European markets, but it’s below standards for the Balkans. Well for us who have to live here, we know how ridiculous and, I suppose, idiosyncratic this is.
DeleteThis is exactly why Zagreb needs more independent carriers and destinations outside the Lufthansa Group ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteOne expert recently complained how he wouldn't fly to Cluj with Air Serbia but rather OS... Well well 🤔.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the problem? The first leg can be an Austrian flight operated by Croatia Airlines
DeleteThe problem is that OS does not fly to Cluj 🤣
DeleteCluj-Napoca is official the center of the world this year.
DeleteCluj-Napoca is the heart of Transylvania Europe, so it is the centre of the world indeed. Beside, Cluj is a very nice place and it worth visiting :)
DeleteJourney to the center of the World!
DeleteBtw why this blog writes Cluj and not ClujNapoca?
DeleteBoth names are correct
DeleteThe term Napoca which dates from antiquity was 'added' in 1974 to try to emphasis the Romanianess of the town and to play down its large Hunagrian/Saxon influences. Its almost never used in daily speak.
DeleteThe term Napoca which dates from antiquity was 'added' in 1974 to try to emphasis the Romanianess of the town and to play down its large Hunagrian/Saxon influences. Its almost never used in daily speak.
DeleteOne less foreign airline at Zagreb. The airport really needs to step up its route development efforts
ReplyDeleteWhat Croatia needs its about 5-10 ATRs, use 3 for their own lines, and wet lease the rest to LH group...they seemingly need them
ReplyDeleteIt is too early.
DeleteI wonder whether this decision was coordinated between Austrian and Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeleteThe real test will come next summer. If Croatia Airlines maintains only ten weekly flights while Austrian's daily service disappears, that represents a significant reduction in overall capacity.
ReplyDelete