The Austrian Airlines Group has founded an own distribution company to market its technical services, to be called ‘Austrian Airlines Technik Marketing GmbH’. This independent positioning in the market for the technical maintenance of aircraft will allow the company to use a neutral market presence to take full advantage of market opportunities, and thereby create better access to potential customers. The 100% subsidiary of Austrian Airlines AG will market the services of Austrian Technical Services, which enjoys a strong position in the international maintenance sector worldwide due to its excellent reputation, wide service spectrum and expertise, to third airlines.

Austrian’s Chief Financial Officer Thomas Kleibl explains the move: ‘Since airlines tend to prefer outsourcing their maintenance business to legally independent repair shops instead of having it done directly by competitor airlines, founding Austrian Airlines Technik Marketing GmbH will improve the provider position of Austrian Technical Services and its focus on third-party business, as well as opening up further opportunities for expansion and growth. As a result, Vienna’s reputation as an international location for aviation technology will increase in value overall.’

Austrian Airlines Technik Marketing GmbH will employ 10 people and become operative from the beginning of 2007. Robert Wanek, whose most recent position was as Director Sales, Marketing & Customer Support at Austrian Technical Services, is to be appointed as Managing Director of the new company. The maintenance services of Austrian Technical Services, which currently employs 1,100 highly-trained staff, generated approximately EUR 230 million in maintenance volume in 2005.
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