A 40-year chapter of Croatian aviation closes this winter. Austrian Airlines has confirmed it is dropping its direct Vienna–Zagreb route, with the last departure scheduled for 10 January 2027. The Star Alliance carrier has also ruled out a summer comeback, so this is a permanent exit, not a seasonal pause.
The writing has been on the wall for a while. Austrian once flew up to 12 times a week between the two capitals, a route it first launched in the mid-1980s and kept alive through wartime disruption and the pandemic. But the last couple of years saw steady cutbacks: by summer 2026 it was down to a single daily flight — a 37.5 percent drop in frequency and 27 percent less seat capacity year on year. Winter reductions started even earlier, at the end of 2024, when smaller turboprops were brought in. Until January, some flights will be operated by Air Dolomiti aircraft under a wet-lease arrangement.
The good news for travellers: the route itself doesn't disappear. Croatia Airlines, also a Star Alliance member, has been quietly filling the gap. It doubled its Vienna flights to ten per week in summer 2026, and will keep two daily flights through the coming winter — mirroring last year's schedule.
For Zagreb Airport, the timing is awkward but not fatal. The airport is actively courting new airlines — its CEO Huseyin Bahadır Bedir and route development chief Yavuz Aytis were among the delegates at the Routes World conference in Frankfurt — so expect effort to go into finding replacement carriers. Whether anyone picks up the slack on the Vienna route specifically, though, remains an open question.
Why should you care? If you've relied on Austrian's Zagreb–Vienna service for Star Alliance award redemptions or easy connections through Vienna's long-haul hub, you'll need to rebook with Croatia Airlines or look at alternatives. Vienna remains Zagreb's most important legacy connection, and with two daily Croatia Airlines flights continuing, most itineraries should still work — just expect the loyalty points and connection options to shift. Booked with Austrian after mid-January? Check your booking: the airline will rebook or refund affected passengers, but Vienna-bound travellers may find themselves rerouted or switched to Croatia Airlines stock.
