AUSTRIAN Airlines will
return to South African
skies with a seasonal
service late next year.
From October 27, 2018,
the airline will launch two
weekly flights from Cape
Town to Vienna.
Inge Dobihal, md of
Austria Connection, says the
introduction of direct flights
to Vienna is very positive
for the niche Austrian
tourism market. “Austria
is popular in the winter
months because people
enjoy skiing there and I am
absolutely delighted at the
opportunities these flights
will bring for the outbound
tourism market.”
Although the Cape TownVienna
route is aimed
primarily at the inbound
market, the reintroduction of
the flights offers convenient
connections for South
Africans flying into Europe,
says Lufthansa group gm
for Southern Africa, Dr
André Schulz. “Vienna’s
airport is a good choice for
travellers looking to make
efficient connections into
Europe, and on to a large
1997 and 1999. Industry
players say the airline
scrapped the route due to
stiff competition. At the time,
Alitalia and Sabena also
flew CPT-VIE and all three
airlines couldn’t sustain flying
there because of a price
war, a source who prefers
to remain anonymous told
TNW. The source says the
introduction of the flights is a
good move for the Lufthansa
group as the other airlines
in the group don’t offer the
same connectivity to Eastern
Europe as Austrian Airlines.
Some industry players have
expressed speculation that
the Lufthansa group may be
launching these flights in
efforts to possibly replace
Lufthansa’s seasonal CPTMUC
route. But André says
there aren’t any plans to halt
the route.
Business class, economy
class and premium economy
class will be available on this
flight, as the new Boeing 777-
200ER will be deployed on
the route. Tickets go on sale
from October 27, 2017.
Flight OS32 will depart
Cape Town International
Airport at 00h20 on
Wednesdays and Sundays to
arrive in Vienna International
Airport at 10h50. Return
flight OS31 will depart Vienna
at 10h15 on Tuesdays and
Saturdays to arrive in Cape
Town at 22h40. The flight
time is about 11 hours.
At this stage, the airline
has no plans to fly to
Johannesburg.
