Because the Austrian government has extended the landing bans from South Africa and Great Britain, Austrian Airlines will have to remove its flights from these countries from their program again by January 24th. AUA boss Alexis von Hoensbroech criticizes the landing bans as “epidemiologically ineffective”, since passengers could still come to Austria via other routes. Instead, he calls for mandatory corona tests for travelers from South Africa and Great Britain.
The flights to Great Britain could be carried out except for a few connections, but all return flights from London Heathrow to Vienna would have to be canceled by the date mentioned, the AUA announced on Saturday. The Austrian federal government was offered to be available again for repatriation flights – a corresponding permit for this has not yet been received.
“Epidemiologically ineffective”
Passengers affected by the cancellation can choose between a refund of the ticket costs or a rebooking. A return trip from South Africa to Austria is still possible, for example, via Dubai or Istanbul, the message says. “We are legally obliged to rebook our passengers on other airlines and also to bear the costs for this rebooking. This means that the landing bans are epidemiologically ineffective, as travelers continue to come to Austria completely unhindered, while we as the Austrian airline alone bear the damage”, explained von Hoensbroech.
On the flight route from South Africa to Vienna, the AUA transports around 40 percent transfer passengers. These guests would only use the hub in Vienna for onward travel and would not enter Austria. On flights from Great Britain this share is 30 percent.
The AUA boss wants a similar solution for Austria as in Germany: There the government recently introduced a corona test requirement for passengers from Ireland, South Africa and Great Britain. “We demand nationwide entry controls by means of a corona test after arrival for all travelers from South Africa and Great Britain, regardless of their flight route.” This could close all the back doors.
