Tail unit torn off

AUA Airbus severely damaged at Vienna Airport!

Dangerous incident at Vienna-Schwechat Airport: an Austrian Airlines Airbus was badly damaged after a collision on the ground at the weekend. An investigation has now been launched.

"We confirm that one of our A320neo aircraft was damaged while not in operation, i.e. without crew or passengers on board. An investigation into the cause and extent of the damage has been initiated," said an AUA spokeswoman in response to a Krone inquiry.

The Airbus A320neo is the newest member of the Austrian Airlines fleet. Austrian currently has five of these new aircraft in service.(Bild: Austrian Airlines/Andreas Jilly)

Incident during towing
According to official information, the aircraft, which was delivered in June 2023, "apparently collided with a power pole and a passenger boarding bridge". The aircraft's right tailplane was torn off and a passenger boarding bridge was damaged. The accident happened while the aircraft was being towed to Terminal 3.

The detailed circumstances of the accident and the extent of the damage are already being investigated, Vienna Airport told "Krone". They are in close contact with Austrian Airlines. The AUA technical specialists will now have to assess whether the aircraft can be repaired at all. 

Aircraft came from London
The Airbus (registration OE-LZQ) had previously landed from London Heathrow at 22:37 on Saturday. While the flight was uneventful, the serious incident occurred later on the ground. 

The fact is that the failure of the aircraft is particularly precarious in the summer flight schedule that has just started. It is still unclear whether individual rotations will have to be canceled due to the failure.