# Lauda Air

Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH, branded as Lauda Air, was an Austrian charter airline headquartered at Vienna Airport in Schwechat. It was owned by Niki Lauda (1949–2019) during much of its existence, later becoming a charter airline subsidiary for leisure operations of Austrian Airlines. On 6 April 2013, Lauda Air ceased to exist and was replaced by Austrian myHoliday, a new brand name that is used for flights and leisure offers provided by Austrian Airlines.

## History
### Development as an independent airline

Lauda Air was established in April 1979 by former Formula One world motor racing champion Niki Lauda with two Fokker F27s. In 1985, ITAS Austria purchased a 49% shareholding. Scheduled services began in 1988. In 1991 the fleet consisted of two Boeing 737-300s, two Boeing 767-300ERs and a Learjet 36.
In May 1988, Lauda started its first long-haul flights from Vienna to Sydney and Melbourne via Bangkok. In the 1990s, it started to fly its Sydney and Melbourne flights via Kuala Lumpur and Bali. Daily flights to Dubai, Cuba, and Miami via Munich followed.

### Merger with Austrian Airlines

Lauda Air became a wholly owned subsidiary of Austrian Airlines in December 2000 and employed thirty-five people as of March 2007. In 2005 the flight operation merged with Austrian Airlines, and the label "Lauda Air" operated charter flights within the Austrian Airlines Group.
At an AAG board meeting in November 2006, plans were approved to retire the Airbus wide-bodied fleet by mid-2007 and to operate with just a Boeing 767 and Boeing 777 fleet. As a result of subsequent fleet cuts, Austrian Airlines suspended some long-haul services and Lauda Air withdrew from the long-haul charter market over the next year. This led to a refocus on the short/medium-haul market and led to the addition of a 737-800 to take over most of the charter routes. Lauda Air also had an Italian subsidiary, Lauda Air S.p.A., which ended its operations in 2007.
Lauda Air was officially merged into Austrian Airlines on 1 July 2012. All aircraft within the group were transferred to Austrian Airlines on 1 July 2012, to be able to take advantage of Austrian Airlines structure.
The brand was retired at the start of the summer flight schedule on 31 March 2013, and was replaced by "Austrian myHoliday". It is no longer an airline but a brand used to sell Austrian Airlines' own leisure offers.

## Destinations

Austrian Airlines regularly served, among others, the following destinations under the Lauda Air brand until March 2013:

### Former destinations

The following destinations were served by Lauda Air as an independent airline prior to their merger into Austrian Airlines:
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
| Australia | Melbourne | Melbourne Airport | Terminated |
| Australia | Sydney | Sydney Airport | Terminated |
| Austria | Graz | Graz Airport | Focus city |
| Austria | Innsbruck | Innsbruck Airport | Focus city |
| Austria | Linz | Linz Airport | Focus city |
| Austria | Salzburg | Salzburg Airport | |
| Austria | Vienna | Vienna Airport | Hub |
| Brazil | Maceió | Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport | Terminated |
| Egypt | Hurghada | Hurghada International Airport | |
| Egypt | Luxor | Luxor International Airport | |
| Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport | |
| France | Nice | Nice Côte d'Azur Airport | Terminated |
| France | Paris | Orly Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Munich | Munich Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Chania | Chania International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Corfu | Corfu International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Heraklion | Heraklion International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Karpathos | Karpathos Island National Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Kavala | Kavala International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Kefalonia | Kefalonia International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Kos | Kos International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Mykonos | Mykonos Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Mytilene | Mytilene International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Preveza | Aktion National Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Rhodes | Rhodes International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Samos | Samos International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Santorini | Santorini (Thira) International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Skiathos | Skiathos International Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Volos | Nea Anchialos National Airport | Seasonal |
| Greece | Zakynthos | Zakynthos International Airport | Seasonal |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Hong Kong International Airport | Terminated |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Kai Tak Airport | Airport Closed |
| Iceland | Reykjavík | Keflavik International Airport | Seasonal |
| Indonesia | Denpasar | I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport | Terminated |
| Ireland | Dublin | Dublin Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Cagliari | Cagliari Elmas Airport | |
| Italy | Catania | Catania-Fontanarossa Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Milan | Milan Malpensa Airport | Terminated |
| Italy | Naples | Naples International Airport | Seasonal |
| Italy | Olbia | Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport | |
| Italy | Rome | Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport | Terminated |
| Italy | Tortolì | Tortolì Airport | |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur International Airport | Terminated |
| Maldives | Malé | Ibrahim Nasir International Airport | Terminated |
| Mexico | Cancún | Cancún International Airport | Terminated |
| Portugal | Faro | Faro Airport | Seasonal |
| Portugal | Funchal | Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport | Seasonal |
| Portugal | Lisbon | Lisbon Airport | Terminated |
| Singapore | Singapore | Changi International Airport | Terminated |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | M. R. Štefánik Airport | Terminated |
| Slovakia | Poprad | Poprad–Tatry Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Barcelona | Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Fuerteventura | Fuerteventura Airport | |
| Spain | Las Palmas | Gran Canaria Airport | |
| Spain | Madrid | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Málaga | Málaga Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Lanzarote | Lanzarote Airport | Seasonal |
| Spain | Tenerife | Tenerife South Airport | |
| Sri Lanka | Colombo | Bandaranaike International Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Don Mueang International Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Phuket | Phuket International Airport | Terminated |
| Turkey | Antalya | Antalya Airport | |
| Turkey | Bodrum | Milas–Bodrum Airport | Seasonal |
| Turkey | Dalaman | Dalaman Airport | Seasonal |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Dubai International Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | London | Gatwick Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | London | Heathrow Airport | Terminated |
| United Kingdom | Manchester | Manchester Airport | Terminated |
| United States | Los Angeles | Los Angeles International Airport | Terminated |
| United States | Miami | Miami International Airport | Terminated |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Tan Son Nhat International Airport | Terminated |

## Fleet
### Historic fleet

Lauda Air's historic fleet included the following aircraft during its existence:
Lauda Air's Historic Fleet :
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | 2005 | 2008 | Leased from Austrian Airlines. |
| BAC 1-11-500 | 2 | 1985 | 1986 | Leased from TAROM. |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 1985 | 1988 | Leased from Transavia. |
| Boeing 737-300 | 2 | 1988 | 2005 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 3 | 1993 | 2005 | |
| Boeing 737-600 | 6 | 2000 | 2009 | Transferred to Austrian Airlines. |
| Boeing 737-700 | 2 | 2001 | 2010 | Transferred to Austrian Airlines. |
| Boeing 737-800 | 7 | 1998 | 2012 | Transferred to Austrian Airlines. |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | 1989 | 1991 | OE-LAV crashed as Flight 004. |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 10 | 1989 | 2007 | Launch customer with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine. Six transferred to Austrian Airlines. |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 3 | 1997 | 2005 | Transferred to Austrian Airlines. |
| Bombardier CRJ-100 | 10 | 1994 | 2004 | Relocated to Austrian Arrows. |
| Fokker F27 Friendship | | 1985 | 1994 | |

### Lauda Air Executive

Lauda Air also operated a fleet of three small jets, a Cessna Citation II (9 seats), a Bombardier Lear 60 (7 seats), and a Dassault Falcon 20 (12 seats). These were available for private charter flights.

## Incidents and accidents

Lauda Air suffered one fatal accident during its existence:
* On 26 May 1991, Lauda Air Flight 004, operated by a Boeing 767-300ER registered as OE-LAV, named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, crashed in Thailand shortly after take-off from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, due to the uncommanded deployment of one of its thrust reversers. This accident resulted in the deaths of all 223 passengers and crew.