What did it take to get a severely damaged Austrian Airlines A320neo successfully back into service? Find out how Airbus’ Customer Care experts and the airline’s own maintenance teams worked together to complete an unprecedented, highly complex repair.
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Airbus has successfully repaired an A320neo, registration OE-LZQ, in partnership with the aircraft’s owner, Austrian Airlines. In April 2024, just months after OE-LZQ had entered service, its rear section was severely damaged in a collision with an airbridge at Vienna airport. In addition, the right aileron was damaged after it came into contact with a light pole.
The aircraft had no passengers at the time, and no one was injured. Nonetheless, it was a major incident which attracted media interest. Austrian had made no secret of its intention to deploy the new aircraft on busy routes such as Vienna-London. Speculation grew as to whether it could be recovered, and what impact its absence from the fleet would have on the airline’s schedule.
