A century-old domestic air bridge between Graz and Austria’s main hub in Vienna looks set to disappear. Austrian Airlines (AUA) confirmed on Monday (3 August 2026) that the twice-daily OS 117/118 shuttle will no longer appear in the carrier’s forthcoming winter schedule. A formal announcement is expected at Tuesday’s half-year results press conference, but both AUA and Graz Airport say they have been informed of “route adaptations”, with the Graz-Vienna leg explicitly mentioned. The decision is driven by chronic unprofitability on Austria’s shortest trunk route. At just 146 km, the hop has long struggled to fill the 120-seat Embraer E-195 aircraft AUA deploys, even though the early-morning departure from Graz has been prized by corporate travellers making same-day long-haul connections in Vienna. AUA CEO Annette Mann has repeatedly warned that “not every short sector can pay its way” in a post-pandemic world of higher fuel prices and tighter sustainability scrutiny. For businesses in Styria the loss is more than symbolic. Consultancy EY estimates that 40 % of Graz-based export firms schedule client meetings abroad around the 06:00 flight, allowing staff to be back home the same night. Without the feeder, travellers will face a 2 h 35 min rail trip (longer until the Semmering Base Tunnel opens in 2030) and a further security check in Vienna, jeopardising narrow connection windows to Frankfurt, London or intercontinental services operated by Star Alliance partners. Politically, the move has re-ignited Austria’s debate over short-haul flights. The Greens praise AUA for "aligning fleet deployment with climate goals", while the regional government fears job losses at Graz Airport, one of the city-owned holding company’s few profit centres. Analysts note that Lufthansa Group—AUA’s parent—is simultaneously concentrating feeder traffic through Munich and Frankfurt, potentially eroding Vienna’s hub status. Companies should begin revising their travel policies now. AUA is expected to offer re-protected rail‐air "AIRail" tickets and through-checked luggage between Graz Hauptbahnhof and Vienna Airport, but seat quotas on Railjet services will be limited. Travel managers are advised to secure winter allocations early and re-evaluate whether meetings can shift to virtual formats or to later time slots that fit the rail timetable. For expatriates and mobility teams, the cancellation underscores the importance of building redundancy into relocation itineraries that rely on domestic connectors.
Source: ORF (steiermark.ORF.at)
