Austrian Airlines temporarily suspends Shanghai flights next winter for Boeing 787 crew training
March 21, 2026
Austrian Airlines has decided to temporarily suspend its flights between Vienna and Shanghai this winter, the company confirmed in a statement to Aerospace Global News earlier this week. This comes as the carrier prepares to accelerate its crew training efforts during the lower-demand winter months, when Europe’s airlines typically do not make as much money.
The Shanghai suspension was first identified in last week’s schedule filings, where Austrian removed flights to Shanghai for several months. The airline will not fly to the Chinese city – its only destination in China – from the end of November until mid-February.
Austrian Airlines’ fleet renewal plan will see it grow its long-haul fleet from the current 11 to 12 planes in total by 2028. It is phasing out its older Boeing 767 and Boeing 777 widebody jets in favour of the Boeing 787-9. According to information from planespotters.net, the carrier currently has 2 in service.
Austrian Airlines suspends Shanghai flights this winter
According to the carrier’s reservation systems and confirmed by an airline spokesperson, Austrian flights from Vienna to Shanghai will be paused from 29 November until 21 February 2027.
It says that the suspension comes amid “somewhat reduced demand for the route during the winter months” and its fleet modernisation strategy. It hopes to use the freed up capacity to boost crew training efforts for its Boeing 787-9 fleet. The Shanghai route is operated by its Boeing 777 fleet. That equipment remains listed once the service returns in February.
Shanghai remains “strategically important” to the company, it added. The spokesperson pointed to the pre-planned increase in frequencies on the service this summer where Austrian will be operating up to six flights per week compared to five during the same period last year.
| Lufthansa Group airline | Shanghai frequency (summer 2026) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Lufthansa | 17 weekly (10x from Frankfurt and 7x from Munich) | No change |
| SWISS | 3x weekly | -4x weekly |
| Austrian Airlines | 6x weekly | +1x weekly |
It is worth noting that fellow Lufthansa Group member SWISS has reduced its operation from daily flights this summer to just three weekly frequencies. In other words, the overall group operation to Shanghai has been downsized, despite the slight mitigating effect of the additional Austrian frequency.
Growth of Austrian’s Boeing 787-9 fleet
Austrian Airlines has been investing heavily in its fleet renewal. On the long-haul front, the carrier is slowly phasing out its three Boeing 767s and six Boeing 777s. As more of the next-generation aircraft enter the fleet, more of the older jets will be decommissioned.
The renewal project is quite ambitious. The carrier’s fleet of 2 Boeing 787-9s will rise to 12 by the end of 2028, meaning it will be incorporating ten more aircraft over a two-year period. It hopes to take delivery of its third example in a few months, being deployed in commercial service from 1 June. It will operate primarily to New York-Newark, the carrier says.
Introducing a new aircraft type is no easy feat. The suspension of its Shanghai service gives the carrier a little bit of room to smoothen out any operational and logistical challenges as deliveries pick up. Preparations undertaken during the winter period will have a positive effect on operational stability during the much more lucrative summer months.
Featured image: Austrian Airlines
