- Title: 335 Kurz Austrian Airlines
- Date: 8th June 2020
- Description:Chancellor Kurz announces a 450-million euro government bailout for Austrian airlines The Republic of Austria is granting Lufthansa's Austrian Airlines unit a 450-million euro ($508 million) bailout that will protect Vienna as a transit hub, which saw 40 million passangers in 2019, and safeguard "the bulk" of the flag carrier's 7,000 jobs, the Autrian government said on Monday. The deal comprises 300 million euros in loans by a banking consortium, 90% of which will be guaranteed by the state, and 150 million euros in grants. The airlines suffered from 197 million euro operating loss because of the crisis in 2020. Priorities are saving Austrian jobs as 95,000 people are working in aviation in Austria, Vienna as a hub and forcing ecological aims, the conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. The agreement follows a 9 billion euro bailout deal between Lufthansa and Germany, and is smaller than the 767 million euros in aid Austrian Airlines originally applied for. Lufthansa has also agreed to inject 150 million euros of its own money into Austrian Airlines. Unlike Germany, however, the Austrian government will not take a stake in Lufthansa, as Kurz had previously said it might. His government, which includes the Greens, is requiring Austrian Airlines to halve its carbon emissions by 2030. It will also introduce a 30 euro tax on flights of up to 350 km (217 miles), and a minimum ticket price of on average 40 euros, a move aimed at budget airlines' heavy discounts ("price dumping"). This is a complete price renewal of the Austrian Republic within the EU where Austria is the first state to do so. Further, the Austrian Airlines must shorten its planes from 80 to 60. The technical headquarters of the Austrian Airlines stay in Vienna and the airlines logo will remain the same. Austrian Airlines will be in operation from 15 June. Shotlist - WS Speakers arriving for news conference - WS News conference - SOUNDBITE (German) Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Chancellor: "It was therefore important to us in the negotiations with Lufthansa to achieve three goals, namely to save the mass of jobs at AUA, secondly, a guarantee Vienna as a hub, and thirdly, necessary measures in the area of climate protection. 00:36 - As for the Vienna hub, we negotiated that there is a guarantee that the hub Vienna will grow proportionally the same as Frankfurt and Munich. 00:51 - As far as the performance of the Republic is concerned, there will be grants worth 150 million euros, that is 150 million tax money, which will be made available to Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa, as the parent company, will also take 150 million euros and 300 million come from an Austrian banking consortium." - SOUNDBITE (German) Gernot Blümel, Minister of Finance: "When it comes to city tourism, the city hotel industry, the gastronomy, the congress tourism, the trade fairs, all of this can only return to a pre-crisis level if the future of AUA is also secured. And last but not least, Vienna as the official headquarters for international organizations is only conceivable in the medium and long term if there is this gateway to the world." - SOUNDBITE (German) Leonore Gewessler, Minister of Traffic: "First, comprehensive anti-dumping rules for climate protection and fair working conditions. That means no more tickets below the legally required fees and charges, no air tickets on average under 40 euros. We are pioneers in Europe in the fight against extremely cheap airlines that make a profit at the cost of our climate. To date, this regulation has not been available anywhere, we are implementing it. 02:17 - The flight ticket tax of 12 euros comes immediately, and we are introducing a new category for the particularly climate-damaging shortest flying routes. For flights under 350 km, 30 euros will be charged in future, which is also a novelty in the EU."
- Collection: ORF
- Genre:News
- Producer:ORF
- Transmission Date:08/06/2020
- Decade: 2020s