People’s to replace Vienna route jet with smaller aircraft

People’s will replace its only aircraft with a smaller turboprop and add flights between Altenrhein and Vienna from March 2027, ORF Vorarlberg reports.

The airline’s Embraer 170, which has 76 seats, is due to undergo a scheduled inspection from Tuesday. It will not return to service for People’s afterwards, regardless of whether the check finds damage. The replacement Dornier 328-100 has 32 seats.

People’s chief executive Thomas Krutzler said demand on the route had fallen by half since the Covid-19 pandemic, from about 90,000 passengers before the pandemic to around 45,000 most recently.

From March 28, 2027, the start of the summer timetable, the airline plans three weekday return flights to Vienna, up from two, and two on Sundays. Krutzler said passengers had asked for more flexibility. The Dornier is due to make its first flight to Vienna on March 28.

Until then, the timetable will remain unchanged, with Helvetic Airways operating the flights. It will use a leased Embraer 190 with crew during the winter schedule, which runs until March 27, 2027. The arrangement is needed for staff retraining and certification. Helvetic will also operate planned ski charter flights from January to March. People’s has sold the Embraer 170, which is due to be handed over to its buyer in March.

The smaller aircraft will have three crew members on board, compared with the current arrangement, leading to the loss of six flight crew jobs, Krutzler said. People’s said it would seek to achieve the cuts through natural staff turnover where possible. The company’s management and affected staff are discussing socially acceptable solutions. The People’s group employs about 130 people.

People’s says the Dornier will produce less noise and fewer CO2 emissions than the Embraer 170. The airline is working with German carrier Private Wings, which operates eight Dornier 328-100 aircraft. People’s said the arrangement would provide greater operational backup and reliability.

Airport Altenrhein AG, the operator of St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport, expects to increase its staffing slightly as flight activity grows. The airport’s longer-term plans include completely resurfacing the runway, installing new technical guidance systems and renewing the apron and taxiways.