Photo: Christian Allinger · Licence: CC BY 2.0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons
From “Stammhaus” to “Production Company”
In 2002, the Austrian Airlines Group restructured its corporate setup once again: the previous “Stammhaus” concept was replaced by the so-called “production company” concept. From then on, Tyrolean Airways flew on behalf of the parent group, while central commercial functions such as marketing, network planning and procurement were taken over by the group’s headquarters in Vienna. On 1 October 2002, Rheintalflug was also absorbed into Tyrolean Airways.
A Shared Brand for the Regional Fleet
In the summer of 2002, the group decided on a new branding strategy: the regional flights operated by Tyrolean would in future be marketed uniformly as “Austrian arrows”, with a livery aligned to the parent group’s visual identity. According to English-language sources, flight operations under this brand actually began in September 2003. Legally and organisationally, Tyrolean Airways GmbH remained the operating airline throughout this entire period, with its own AOC and home base in Innsbruck; the name “Tyrolean” simply disappeared from the airline’s presentation to passengers.
The Fleet Under the Arrows Livery
Over time, the fleet under the “Austrian arrows” brand included, among others, Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 aircraft, Canadair/Bombardier CRJ100/200 jets, as well as the De Havilland Dash 8 in the 100, 300 and 400 (Q400) series. In 2004, a Fokker 100 additionally leased from Transwede Airways was temporarily added. In 2005, Tyrolean became one of the first regional airlines in the world to achieve the IATA IOSA certification, a quality and safety standard for flight operations.
In 2006, the company employed around 1,600 staff. On 30 June of the same year, managing director Johann Messner retired, succeeded by Manfred Helldoppler. By April 2007, the last three remaining Fokker 70s of Austrian Airlines itself had finally been transferred to Tyrolean. In 2008, the fleet reached its historic peak of 59 aircraft, partly through the acquisition of additional Fokker 100s to offset departures at the parent company.
Withdrawal of Individual Series and the End of the Brand
From 2010, the smaller, 50-seat CRJ200 aircraft, as well as the Dash 8-300, began to be phased out gradually, with both series withdrawn from active flight operations in the years that followed. By October 2011, the fleet comprised 38 aircraft with an average age of 13.7 years. The “Austrian arrows” brand itself remained in use until the far-reaching restructuring of flight operations in July 2012, after which the “arrows” suffix was dropped for good.
Sources (Selection)
Further reading: → Merging Flight Operations (2012)
← Takeover by the Austrian Airlines Group (1998) · Back to overview
This chapter is part of the detailed corporate history of Tyrolean Airways. Independent, private history project with no connection to Austrian Airlines AG, the Lufthansa Group or the Swarovski corporate group. Note: sources date the start and end of the “Austrian arrows” brand slightly differently in places; we rely on the best-documented figures and point out discrepancies where they exist.