Austrian Airlines is making itself fit for the digital world and is further developing its branding. Small-scale adjustments are being carried out against the backdrop of the planned relaunch of the Website and the app at the turn of the year 2018/19 as well as the stronger Internet presence being planned.

The aim is to meet the demands of the digital world and thus be more modern. “Digitalization is changing our lives. Our products, our brand and our company are also making themselves fit for the digital future. The realignment of our branding is another important step in this direction”, explains Andreas Otto, Member of the Management Board and CCO of Austrian Airlines.

Adjustments to the logo

The focus is on a slight adaptation of the logo. Both core elements of the brand image, namely the chevron and the wordmark “Austrian” are being modernized to enhance their effect. This will particularly increase the long-distance effect on aircraft and billboards. In the meantime, 80 percent of Internet use takes place on a mobile basis. For this reason, particular attention is being attached to ensure that the logo is more easily and clearly recognizable on mobile devices and smart watches.

The brand values of individuality, competence and Austrianess will remain untouched. The typical “Austrian Airlines red”, which comprises the characteristic element of the airline’s branding, should be used in a more targeted manner as a distinguishing feature to set it apart from other airlines. At the same time, the logo should be deployed in a controlled and charming manner.

The visual appearance of the fleet

Adjustments made in the digital domain will be gradually transferred to the entire brand environment of Austrian Airlines. Accordingly, all customer touchpoints and the entire signage on the airports will be adapted. The livery of the fleet will also be gradually adjusted as soon as a new painting is anyway needed for the respective aircraft.

Showdown for the new Boeing 777 OE-LPF

The first aircraft to feature the new livery will be the new Boeing 777 OE-LPF, which can initially be viewed in Vienna at it´s arrival in May 2018. The long-haul aircraft is currently in Hong Kong, where it is being modified and adapted to fulfil the standards of Austrian Airlines.

On balance, it will take about seven years until all Austrian Airlines aircraft will have the new livery. 18 out of a total of 82 aircraft in the airline’s fleet should feature the new livery when the summer flight schedule for 2019 takes effect.

The primary new features of the aircraft’s exterior design: the empennage will be optically enlarged by expanding the red area from the empennage downwards across the fuselage. In this way, the logo is more dynamically highlighted and shown to be bigger. The wordmark “Austrian” in the front area of the fuselage is also displayed over a larger surface area and thus be clearly readable from far away. In the future the jet engines will be painted in a resplendent white. As a result, the chevron and wordmark “Austrian” will be visually highlighted in a more charming manner. The typical Austrian salutation “Servus” will remain on the aircraft belly.