Austrian Airlines Celebrates Johann Strauss’s 200th Birthday With Special Livery
Feb 27, 2025
The year 2025 holds special significance for Vienna as it commemorates the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II, born on October 25, 1825. Throughout the year, various celebrations are taking place in honor of the legendary composer. Austrian Airlines, Vienna’s hometown carrier, is participating in these festivities by introducing a special livery.
The Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance airline has devised a unique design to mark this occasion. According to Flightradar24 tracking data, the aircraft involved—a Boeing777-200ER registered as OE-LPF—flew from Vienna Airport (VIE) to Hannover (HAJ) in Germany for the application of the livery. As this scheme involves several large decals rather than a full repaint, it required only a short stay from February 2nd to February 6th.
The special paint scheme features a black-and-white portrait of Strauss at the rear of the fuselage, adorned with modern and colorful headphones. Further forward, there is a violin depicted—the instrument Strauss was renowned for playing—and at the front lies a vinyl record inscribed with his birth and death years (1825-1899).
Passengers may not realize it, but one of Strauss’s most famous compositions, “The Blue Danube,” is played onboard Austrian Airlines flights. The Vienna Tourist Board notes that “each year, more than 200,000 renditions of The Blue Danube are played on Austrian Airlines flights before takeoff and after landing,” highlighting how Strauss continues “to transcend borders and connect people worldwide. “
Austrian Airlines warmly welcomed this new design. CEO Annette Mann said: “Strauss’s masterpiece clearly represents a great piece of tradition and home for us. It is therefore a great pleasure for us to carry a flying tribute to Johann Strauss and his works out into the world with our special livery. “
Travel And Tour World reports that this special livery represents just one part of broader celebrations honoring Strauss’s bicentennial in Vienna this year. Peter Hanke, President of the Vienna Tourist Board said: “65 productions [will be staged] on around 250 performance days in all 23 districts” to celebrate Strauss’s life.
“Johann Strauss is a major attraction for culturally interested audiences from Austria and abroad,” Hanke added. “”The ‘Strauss Aircraft’ builds a symbolic bridge here: once again, the Waltz King crosses national borders and connects people all over the world. This strengthens Vienna’s connection to the world and provides an impetus for the visitor economy, business location as well as Viennese people.”
This isn’t first time OE-LPF has sported special livery since joining Austrian Airlines’ fleet in January 2018 after serving Aeroméxico from September 2007 until November
