IAG's Level airline plans budget long-haul flights from Vienna

British Airways parent IAG plans to expand its long-haul network from Vienna with new budget brand Level, CE Willie Walsh said Tuesday. Most budget airlines offer short-haul routes, but Level was established last year to offer low-cost long-haul flights, joining a handful of other airlines in this relatively new market, including Norwegian. “One of the reasons we chose the Level brand to operate from Vienna (is) that we are looking for opportunities to further expand long-haul flights,” Walsh said, adding that a decision on the new routes had not been taken yet. But Level will initially fly short-haul routes from Vienna where it will compete with Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier Ryanair. Vienna Airport has been trying to attract budget carriers with an incentive scheme in the aftermath of the collapse of Air Berlin.<br/>