Austrian Airlines and the online auction firm Aurena, auctioned eleven rows of economy class seats from the airline’s Boeing 767-300ER fleet and 170 catering trolleys.
The seats were designed for the Austrian carrier’s transatlantic operations and were removed due to a cabin modification, and these were replaced with Premium Economy Class seats.
The seats and catering trolleys were modified and will now be used for new tasks, such as extravagant furniture, bar trolleys or sturdy toolboxes.
Over the course of the auction, more than 390 bidders placed 2,500 bids. A total of 58,587 euros were collected. In cooperation with Aurena, Austrian will donate all proceeds from the Ukrainian relief auction of the Austrian NGO Nachbar in Not.
With these donations Nachbar en Not will provide people in need with food, water, medical supplies, and personal cleaning products.
“The immense suffering of the Ukrainians is of great concern to us. As the red, white and red flag carrier, connecting Austria with Europe and the world for more than 60 years, we are pleased to share a piece of aviation history and thereby help people in need,” says Michael Trestl, CCO of Austrian Airlines.
“With this charity project, we want to make at least a small contribution to alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people. We would like to thank all bidders who have bid during the auction and thus contributed to helping people in need,” added Trestl.
