From an independent Tyrolean logo to complete absorption into the group brand: the brand identity of Tyrolean Airways changed in three major steps over 35 years, in step with the company’s economic development.

1980-2002: An Independent Airline with Its Own Livery

From the start of scheduled operations in 1980 until the group-wide rebrand of 2002/2003, Tyrolean Airways appeared with its own livery and brand identity, independent of its later parent company Austrian Airlines. The name “Tyrolean” stood programmatically for its origin in Innsbruck and Tyrol, deliberately setting the regional airline apart from the large network carriers. Even after the Austrian Airlines Group became majority owner in 1998, the independent brand identity initially remained in place.

2002/2003: “Spirit of Spring” and the Austrian Arrows Brand

Under then-new Austrian Airlines CEO Vagn Sorensen, the entire Austrian Airlines Group underwent a comprehensive rebrand, developed by the international branding agency Landor under the “Spirit of Spring” theme. The goal was a unified, modern look across the whole airline group, from the lounge at Vienna Airport to the in-flight magazine and aircraft livery.

As part of this relaunch, the externally visible brand of Tyrolean Airways became “Austrian arrows”. Legally, the company remained registered as Tyrolean Airways GmbH and continued to appear as the registered aircraft operator on the fuselage, while livery, logo and external communications switched to the new look aligned with Austrian Airlines. The group’s charter airline Lauda Air, by contrast, kept its own brand identity untouched by the changeover.

2012: Operational Merger, Standard Austrian Livery

When Tyrolean Airways GmbH took over all flight operations of Austrian Airlines AG in 2012, the “arrows” suffix was also dropped: aircraft received the standard “Austrian” livery, identical to that of the medium- and long-haul fleet, even though operations continued to run legally through Tyrolean Airways GmbH. Externally, the former Tyrolean regional airline was by then visually indistinguishable from its parent company.

2015: Complete Absorption into the Group Brand

With the final merger on 1 April 2015, the legal independence of Tyrolean Airways GmbH also came to an end. From 2015, Austrian Airlines also gradually introduced a refreshed livery variant called “myAustrian”, which was also applied to former Tyrolean aircraft. Nothing of the former Tyrolean brand identity remained visible, even though the name “Tyrolean” remains associated with Innsbruck’s regional aviation history among industry observers and enthusiasts to this day.

Fun Fact

When the switch to “Austrian arrows” happened in 2002/2003, the name “Tyrolean Airways” actually remained on the fuselage, since it denoted the legally registered aircraft operator: for years, those in the know could read “Tyrolean Airways” on the fuselage and “Austrian arrows” on the tail fin of the very same aircraft, two names on one plane.

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Sources (Selection)

• Design Week: Austrian Airlines hopes to soar with Landor brand
• Business Travel News Europe: Austrian Arrows, New Name for Tyrolean Airways
• Wikipedia: Tyrolean Airways

Further reading: → The Austrian Arrows Brand (2002-2012) · → The Fleet of Tyrolean Airways · → The History of Tyrolean Airways

Independent, private history project with no connection to Austrian Airlines AG or the Lufthansa Group.