Graz is now the new Eurowings base
With the stationing of an Airbus A319, Eurowings is making Graz its new aircraft base with immediate effect. The aircraft with the registration “9H-EXQ” was ceremoniously welcomed this morning with a water fountain from the airport fire brigade and received on the apron by Airport CEO Wolfgang Grimus together with Eurowings Europe Managing Director Stefan Beveridge and representatives from politics and tourism. Afterwards, the fully booked flight EW4516 took off at 11:10 a.m. from Graz towards the Egyptian sun to Hurghada.
Graz is the second Eurowings base in Austria after Salzburg and the eleventh base in Europe. The stationing of an Airbus at Graz Airport is thus part of the growth course of the leading value carrier and a further milestone in the pan-European expansion of Eurowings.
“We are very pleased to further expand our presence at Graz Airport by stationing an aircraft and to bring more Eurowings to Styria,” said Eurowings Europe Managing Director Stefan Beveridge. “Our expansion is based on a strong partnership with Graz Airport and TUI Austria and is a clear commitment to Graz as an aviation hub and the entire region.”
Centrally located, the stationing of an efficient and modern Airbus in Graz not only strengthens the popular connections to the south of Europe, but also moves northern Germany closer to Styria – particularly attractive for business and tourism.
“With this impressive expansion, Eurowings becomes one of our most important location partners,” explains Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director of Graz Airport. “With the eleven destinations, including four new ones, Eurowings optimally covers the needs of Styrian business and industry and offers an attractive route portfolio for holiday travellers. We hope that today’s stationing will be a prelude to further expansion in the future.”
“In order to connect Styria internationally, it also needs the appropriate infrastructure. The opening of the new Eurowings base at Graz Airport enables direct connections to four new destinations and thus strengthens our location. It is our goal to continuously promote and develop the internationalisation of our province,” says Werner Amon, Provincial Councillor for Europe, International Affairs, Education and Human Resources.
Councillor Manfred Eber: “It is gratifying to see that the German airline Eurowings, our long-standing partner, is placing great trust in Graz Airport by establishing one of its bases at our airport and expanding its flight programme. This decision not only strengthens Graz as a business location, but also Graz Airport, which is considered the most important airport in the south of Austria.”
“The airport is of great importance for the economy of Graz,” says city councillor Günter Riegler. “More than 200,000 foreign passengers used the airport last year. Of these, about half were tourists and the rest were business travellers. It is very pleasing that the cooperation with Eurowings is now being significantly expanded. Berlin and Hamburg in particular, with their Friday and Sunday flights, are real tourist connections that invite you to take a weekend trip to Graz. And this is of course also an attractive offer for people from Graz!”
CEO Wolfgang Malik, Holding Graz: “Our flight connections to Germany are quite volatile due to various developments, but as the owner’s representative I am optimistic about the future, not least thanks to the new Eurowings base in Graz and the additional, new connections associated with it. Our airport in Graz, as one of the largest regional airports in the Alps-Adriatic region, will in future offer an extended range of popular connections in Europe with Berlin and, with the forthcoming new Hamburg connection, will bring northern Germany closer to Styria in a particularly attractive way for business and tourism. I am confident that Graz Airport will soon reach the top level again in its multifunctionality as a regional airport with many international connections”.
Eurowings expands flight programme from Graz
Eurowings is significantly expanding its presence at Graz Airport and is extending its range of attractive direct flight destinations from summer 2023. With the new destinations Chania (Crete) and Larnaca, as well as Hurghada, Karpathos, Corfu, Kos and Rhodes, seven destinations in the popular holiday destinations Greece, Egypt and Cyprus are on the programme. The holiday island of Mallorca is additionally served up to three times a week from Graz.
“We tour operators are very pleased that the flight programme from Graz can be significantly expanded for the summer of 2023,” says Gottfried Math, Managing Director TUI Austria. “The cooperation with Eurowings enables us to significantly expand capacity on the existing connections to Mallorca and Rhodes, which will thus be served 3 times a week. The destinations Larnaca on Cyprus and Chania on Crete are completely new in the programme from Graz. The new Eurowings base at Graz Airport makes attractive flight times possible and creates connections at the highest quality level”.
In addition to the expansion towards the south, Eurowings is increasing its range of city connections to Germany: For example, the Lufthansa subsidiary has been connecting the capital of Styria with Berlin up to five times a week since the end of March and with the Hanseatic city of Hamburg up to four times a week from 5 May. Together with the eight-times-weekly connection to Düsseldorf, travellers from Graz can choose from three German city destinations.
“Northern Germany is very exciting as an economic area and holiday source market – and with this flight connection it is finally getting closer,” says a delighted Michael Feiertag, Managing Director of Steirische Tourismus und Standortmarketing GmbH.
Expansion of the programme also in the winter flight schedule 2023/24
Furthermore, the 2023/24 winter flight schedule from Graz has already been partially published. Eurowings will offer two weekly connections from Graz to Hurghada in the winter months. There are also flights to the Canary Islands – twice a week to Gran Canaria and once a week to Tenerife. In addition, city connections to Germany will be added to the winter flight programme in the coming weeks.
Photo: Michael Feiertag, Managing Director Styria Tourism, City Councillor Manfred Eber, Wolfgang Malik, Chairman of the Board Holding Graz, Stefan Beveridge, Managing Director Eurowings Europe, Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director Graz Airport, City Councillor Günther Riegler, Provincial Councillor Werner Amon, Jürgen Löschnig, Managing Director Graz Airport, Gottfried Math, Managing Director TUI Austria (f. l.)
