VIENNA—Austrian Airlines has sold its last three Boeing 767-300ERs to a U.S. firm for part out as the flag carrier prepares to end flying with the twinjet after 38 years.
“Austrian Airlines has sold its three remaining Boeing 767-300ERs, with the registrations OE-LAE, OE-LAY [and] OE-LAZ,” an airline official told Aviation Week on Sept. 21.
The buyer is Cobra Aviation Services LLC, which will use them for parts recovery. “The first aircraft (OE-LAZ) will be transferred to the U.S. during October,” the official added. The other two 767s will follow toward the end of the year.
The purchase price remains confidential. All three aircraft will be transferred to Arizona.
The sales mark the end of an era for Austrian Airlines, which began operating the twinjet in 1988. The last 767-300ER commercial flight is expected to be completed on Dec. 1.
“One aircraft that was decommissioned after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 was OE-LAW. At that time, it was the 767 with the most flight hours worldwide, with over 137,000 operating hours,” said Michael Umgeher, head of the long-range fleet at Austrian Airlines, in a recent interview with Aviation Week.
A total of nine 767s have operated for Austrian Airlines over the last 38 years. All nine aircraft were ordered by the original Lauda Air, which became a subsidiary of Austrian Airlines in 2004.
Austrian Airlines will take delivery of its fifth 787-9 later this year. In summer 2027, seven 787s should be in service.
The Lufthansa subsidiary's widebody fleet also includes six 777-200ERs, which are expected to have been replaced with 787-9s by 2029.
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