Austria Bans Air Tickets Under 40 Euros

A flight ticket in Austria now costs at least 40 euros. There will also be a surcharge of 30 euros on flights of 350 kilometres or less.

The conservative-green Austrian government announced this when it presented a support plan for airline Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

According to Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, this means the end of “tickets for one euro”.

The green politician states that foreign price fighters make a profit at the expense of the environment. Austria is the first European country to take these measures.

Due to the corona crisis, Austrian Airlines is receiving 450 million euros in state aid, mainly in the form of loans. The Austrian state does not take a share in the airline.

Many of the 7000 jobs at the Austrian airline are at risk. Lufthansa also contributes to 150 million euros.

Anyone who will make a short flight of 350 kilometres or less will have to pay an extra fee of 30 euros. The government wants to make short flights less attractive.

According to the German newspaper Die Welt, flight destinations will be cancelled if they can be reached by train from Austria within three hours. Austrian Airlines must have halved CO2 emissions by 2030.