Air Austral
France · REUNION · Active
Airline Identity
History
Air Austral traces its roots to Réunion Air Services (RAS), founded in December 1974 by local businessman Gérard Ethève as Réunion Island's first commercial airline, initially flying turboprop aircraft on regional routes. The carrier was renamed Air Réunion in 1986 and took its current name, Air Austral, in 1990, before launching long-haul international service in 2003. Serious financial difficulties from around 2012 forced a change of management and the pruning of unprofitable routes, and further restructuring followed a court-approved rescue plan in January 2023 that brought in a consortium of local private investors alongside its long-time shareholder Sematra. It remains Réunion's flag carrier, competing on the France-Réunion route mainly against Air France and Corsair.
Current Operations
Air Austral operates a mixed fleet including Boeing 787-8s, 777-300ERs and 737-800s, plus regional Airbus A220-300s, serving destinations across metropolitan France, the Indian Ocean region and beyond from its base at Roland Garros Airport on Réunion. Following its 2023 restructuring, the airline is majority-owned (roughly 55%) by a consortium of about two dozen private Réunionnais investors, alongside continued shareholding by the semi-public company Sematra. It is not a member of any global airline alliance but maintains codeshare and commercial partnerships with carriers such as Air Madagascar and Kenya Airways, and it has continued to face periodic financial strain typical of a small island long-haul carrier.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.