Niki and Formula 1
1971: Starts career as Formula 1 racing driver.
1974–77: Drives for Ferrari.
1975: Wins Formula 1 title with Ferrari.
1 Aug. 1976: Accident at the Nürburgring, back in the driving seat just 30 days later.
1977: Wins title with Ferrari for the second time.
1979: Always fascinated by aviation, Niki Lauda founds Lauda Air and retires from Formula 1.
1982: Returns to Formula 1 with McLaren.
1984: Wins third Formula 1 title, this time with McLaren.
1985: Calls time on driving career once and for all and turns his attention to aviation.
1992–1997: Consultant at Ferrari.
1974–77: Drives for Ferrari.
1975: Wins Formula 1 title with Ferrari.
1 Aug. 1976: Accident at the Nürburgring, back in the driving seat just 30 days later.
1977: Wins title with Ferrari for the second time.
1979: Always fascinated by aviation, Niki Lauda founds Lauda Air and retires from Formula 1.
1982: Returns to Formula 1 with McLaren.
1984: Wins third Formula 1 title, this time with McLaren.
1985: Calls time on driving career once and for all and turns his attention to aviation.
1992–1997: Consultant at Ferrari.
Niki and Lauda Air
1979: Foundation of Lauda Air with two Fokker 27s.
1979-82: Attempts to expand Lauda Air are thwarted due to the monopoly position of Austrian national carrier Austrian Airlines. Lauda Air leases out both Fokker 27s and focuses exclusively on charter business.
1985: Start of successful venture with Basile Varvaressos and its tour operator ITAS; entry into charter market.
ITAS, already serving Greece, adds Spain, the Canary Islands and long-haul destinations to its portfolio. Lauda Air buys two Boeing 737-300s to cover demand from increasing numbers of sun-seekers.
1986: Strong growth and request for licence to operate scheduled services.
1987: Do&Co becomes catering provider for Lauda Air.
1988: Clearance to start scheduled flights to the Far East with the first Boeing 767-300 ER in the Lauda Air fleet.
1994: In March Lauda Air launches new European flights to Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester and Stockholm with new Canadair Regional Jets.
1997: Strategic cooperation between Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Lufthansa.
Lauda Air takes delivery of its first Boeing 777 and adds Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, Timisoara in Romania, and Verona and Hamburg to its list of scheduled destinations.
November 2000: Niki Lauda sells his interest in Lauda Air to Austrian Airlines and steps down as CEO.
1979-82: Attempts to expand Lauda Air are thwarted due to the monopoly position of Austrian national carrier Austrian Airlines. Lauda Air leases out both Fokker 27s and focuses exclusively on charter business.
1985: Start of successful venture with Basile Varvaressos and its tour operator ITAS; entry into charter market.
ITAS, already serving Greece, adds Spain, the Canary Islands and long-haul destinations to its portfolio. Lauda Air buys two Boeing 737-300s to cover demand from increasing numbers of sun-seekers.
1986: Strong growth and request for licence to operate scheduled services.
1987: Do&Co becomes catering provider for Lauda Air.
1988: Clearance to start scheduled flights to the Far East with the first Boeing 767-300 ER in the Lauda Air fleet.
1994: In March Lauda Air launches new European flights to Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester and Stockholm with new Canadair Regional Jets.
1997: Strategic cooperation between Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Lufthansa.
Lauda Air takes delivery of its first Boeing 777 and adds Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, Timisoara in Romania, and Verona and Hamburg to its list of scheduled destinations.
November 2000: Niki Lauda sells his interest in Lauda Air to Austrian Airlines and steps down as CEO.
NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH was formed as the succ
essor to Aero Lloyd Austria GmbH in which Niki Lauda acquired a majority interest in November 2003 following the bankruptcy of its parent company Aero Lloyd. The company’s mission was to establish a low-cost carrier alongside its charter operations. Initially NIKI had two aircraft, a 174-seater Airbus A320 and a 210-seater Airbus A321, which ferried Austrian holiday makers from Vienna and Salzburg to the Canary Islands, Madeira and Egypt.At the start of 2004 Niki Lauda joined forces with a major partner, airberlin – the second largest German airline and an operator with a proven track record in the low-cost segment.
At the same time airberlin started providing flight and crew planning and sales coordination services, as well as operating a service centre for NIKI. NIKIs flight operations, ground services, technical services, controlling, catering, marketing and press and sales departments are located in Austria.
Although a number of alliances between major airlines were already well established, this was the first time that two low-cost airlines had joined forces.
