Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier of Austria, headquartered in Schwechat near Vienna International Airport and founded in 1957 in the years following the end of Allied post-war occupation, which had previously barred Austria from operating its own airline. It joined the Star Alliance in 2000 and was acquired by the Lufthansa Group in 2009 after the Austrian state privatized its remaining shareholding amid the airline's mounting financial losses. Austrian Airlines operates its hub at Vienna, historically positioning the airline as a bridge carrier connecting Western Europe with destinations across Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East.