LEVEL base in Vienna / LEVEL moves to the next level

LEVEL, the low-cost carrier for long-haul flights of International Airlines Group (IAG), will open base in Vienna. It will allocate 4 aircraft of the Airbus A321 type (210 seats) and will open 14 new routes.

The first regional flights in Europe will be operated on 17 July 2018, to Palma de Mallorca and London Gatwick. And until August, LEVEL will fly from Vienna to Barcelona, ​​Malaga, Venice, Olbia, Ibiza, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa, Dubrovnik, Larnaca, Alicante, Valencia and Bilbao. Initially, 13 jobs will be created at the LEVEL base in Vienna.

In order to operate flights from Austria, IAG has announced the subsidiary Anisec Luftfahrt GmbH, which will operate under the Austrian Air Operator's Certificate (AOC). Initially, the Austrian subsidiary was announced under the brand name Veuling Ausstria, but it seems that everything will be under LEVEL.

LEVEL base in Vienna and 14 new routes

How did LEVEL arrive in Vienna? The story is tangled, but interesting. This strategic move came weeks after Norwegian refused International Airlines Group's (IAG) offer and at 6 months after IAG failed to acquire Niki assets. The IAG has agreed to pay 20 millions of euros to purchase the insolvent Austrian carrier and up to 15 Airbus A320 aircraft. The transaction would have come with the package and with an attractive portfolio of slots on various airports: Vienna, Düsseldorf, Munich, Palma and Zurich.

If IAG had succeeded in taking over NIKI assets, Vueling would have quickly entered the markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland and consolidated its position in the markets dominated by Star Alliance operators. But it failed, so IAG steals the start in the competition with Laudamotion and will open the base in Vienna with 3 months ahead of the competitor.

LEVEL moves to the next level

Following the bankruptcy of AirBerlin and Niki, the Austrian market began to be invaded by more and more low-cost carriers. The start was given Wizz Air, which has allocated an Airbus A320 aircraft and inaugurated flights to Valencia, Rome Fiumicino, Malta, Bari and Tel Aviv. Followed inauguration of the Laudamotion base in Vienna, and from October will be operated over 20 of new routes. It will be inaugurated including route Vienna - Bucharest by Laudamotion. It follows LEVEL with 4 aircraft and 14 new routes.

The 14 routes LEVEL will operate, under VY- indicative, from Vienna:
Vienna - Barcelona from July 23 - 1 flight a day
Vienna - Malaga from July 30 - 3 flights a week
Vienna - Palma Mallorca from July 17 - 1 flight a day
Vienna - Paris CDG from August 12 - 2 flights a day
Vienna - Valencia from August 12 - 2 flights a week
Vienna - Alicante from August 11 - 2 weekly flights
Vienna - Bilbao from August 13 - 3 weekly flights
Vienna - Dubrovnik from August 11 - 4 flights a week
Vienna - Ibiza from August 7 - 3 flights a week
Vienna - Larnaca from August 11 - 3 flights a week
Vienna - London Gatwick from July 17 - 1 daily flight
Vienna - Milan Malpensa from August 11 - 2 daily flights
Vienna - Olbia from July 31 - 3 flights a week
Vienna - Venice from July 31 - 1 daily flight

For those who have not yet learned, LEVEL debuted on long-haul flights in June 2017, the first base being established in Barcelona. And next month it will open its Paris Orly base and fly to Montreal, New York Newark, Guadeloupe and Martinique. The OpenSkies by British Airways division in Paris will be integrated into LEVEL with staff and aircraft.