Austrian Airlines, Vienna Airport and Plug and Play start an innovation partnership

Cooperation partners develop innovative measures in the areas of passenger experience and handling with a focus on digitization

Travel experience should be raised to a new level for passengers 

Austrian and Vienna Airport want to play a pioneering role in the digitization of aviation

The Austrian flag carrier Austrian Airlines, Vienna Airport and the Californian start-up company Plug and Play are entering into an innovation partnership on the initiative of Christian Novosel, Head of Business Development, Digital & Fleet at Austrian Airlines. Significant innovation impetus will also come from Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform for companies headquartered in Silicon Valley. In April, Austrian Airlines joined the Plug and Play Travel & Hospitality program based in Airport City at Vienna Airport. The corporate innovation program aims to connect industrial companies with start-ups and scale-ups in order to further promote digital transformation. 

In an innovation partnership between Vienna Airport and Austrian Airlines, a joint team has recently been developing initial ideas for making the processes even easier and more convenient for passengers and making handling as efficient and safe as possible. In addition to innovative solutions from start-ups, increased digitization should help to further increase travel comfort for passengers in the future.  

By using the open innovation principles, Austria’s largest airline wants to enhance the customer experience and operational efficiency, as well as further, develop new products, digital solutions and additional services for its guests.  

Since Vienna Airport is already part of the business network, this cooperation with Plug and Play offers a unique opportunity to strengthen Vienna and the Airport City at the airport as an innovative location and attractive tech hub in Europe. Together with other partners such as Fraport AG, the Star Alliance, Brussels Airport and Aeroporti di Roma, the exchange of best practices and new technologies is already taking place. 

Francesco Sciortino, COO of Austrian Airlines: “Together with Plug and Play, we want to create a comprehensive travel experience for our passengers and play a pioneering role in the digital transformation of airlines and airports around the world.”

Mag. Julian Jäger, CEO of Flughafen Wien AG: “As part of a new innovation partnership, Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport are working on concepts for making processes even easier for passengers and handling even more efficient. Digitization opens up exciting perspectives for this. Innovative solutions will emerge from our joint know-how and with the support of Plug and Play and its start-ups”.

“We are thrilled to start this partnership with one of Austria’s best-known and most popular brands. Austrian Airlines is one of the most respected airlines in the world and Plug and Play looks forward to driving innovation together and taking the customer experience to the next level,” said Benjamin Klos, Director of Plug and Play Vienna.