The Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines AG approved the application to purchase a Boeing B777-200ER long-range jet as the first replacement…
The Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines AG approved the application to purchase a Boeing B777-200ER long-range jet as the first replacement for the sale of two Airbus A340-200 aircraft. The Supervisory Board meeting also granted an application to sell/market up to three Canadair Regional CRJ 100 short-range jets and market one Boeing B737-600.
The motive for selling or marketing these aircraft – particularly against the background of the high kerosene prices – is the company`s wish to remove uneconomic aircraft types from operation. Due to its lower capacity compared to twin-engined aircraft, the cost per seat of the A340-200 long-range jet has risen, for example. The Boeing 737-600 is the last aircraft of this version to be used in the fleet and has in this respect become exotic. Because they use different engines to the CRJ 200 the three CRJ 100 will also be released for sale. These aircraft will be replaced on routes with high load factors by yet operating Fokker 100-Jets with increased capacity.
Chief Financial Officer Thomas Kleibl made the following statement on the fast pace of fleet harmonisation: `In the past four years alone, we have been able to sell five aircraft families (Embraer, MD-80, the `old generation` Boeing 737, Dash 8-100 and Challenger/Lear Jet 60). This has significantly reduced the complexity of our fleet and the associated maintenance. Now, as a next step in the process, we are beginning to sell or replace individual aircraft that have become less cost-effective than other types. This continuous modernisation will begin to take effect from 2006 onwards, overwhelmingly in the form of lower operating and maintenance costs. This year, three Airbus A319, two Boeing 737-800, three Fokker 100 and two Bombardier Q 400 have already been integrated into our fleet in return for planned or completed sales of other types. With an average age of around seven years, the Austrian aircraft fleet is amongst the youngest in the world.`
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