Austrian Airlines launches first-ever non-stop flights between Vienna and the Azores. The Austrian flag carrier expands its summer network with its first direct service to Portugal’s Azores archipelago, now the longest route operated by its continental Airbus A320neo fleet. Austrian Airlines has inaugurated its first-ever non-stop service between Vienna and Ponta Delgada (PDL), located on São Miguel Island in the Azores. The new route marks the airline’s first direct connection to the Portuguese archipelago and will operate once a week, every Tuesday, through early September using Airbus A320neo aircraft, further strengthening the carrier’s seasonal leisure network.
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Covering approximately 3,770 kilometers (2,343 miles) with a flight time of just over five hours, Ponta Delgada becomes the longest route operated by Austrian Airlines’ continental fleet. The new destination surpasses the airline’s other Atlantic services, including Funchal, Tenerife South, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, all served by Airbus A320-family aircraft.
From an operational standpoint, the new service is among the most demanding regularly scheduled Airbus A320neo flights within the Lufthansa Group. Operating to the Azores requires extensive planning, including fuel management, route optimization, and alternate airport selection, due to the islands’ remote location in the middle of the North Atlantic, approximately two hours west of mainland Europe.
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The inaugural OS497 flight to Ponta Delgada was commanded by Captain Christoph Mosser, who highlighted the unique appeal of the Azores and the extensive preparation undertaken by Austrian Airlines’ crews ahead of the route launch. He also noted that the airline’s experience operating long-haul North Atlantic flights, combined with knowledge-sharing with Eurowings and Edelweiss, played a key role in successfully introducing this new destination, offering travelers access to one of Europe’s most distinctive natural escapes.
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