1974–1990: Founding years as RAS and Air Réunion Air Austral was created in December 1974 by local businessman Gérard Ethève as
Réunion Air Services (RAS), Réunion's first commercial airline. By August 1977, RAS had started regional services from
Sainte-Marie to
Mayotte In June 2010, Air Austral announced it would start scheduled flights from Réunion to
Bordeaux and
Nantes from February 2011. Non-profitable routes to Nouméa, Sydney, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, and Lyon were closed. Additionally, Air Austral was unable to pay for a new 777-200LR awaiting delivery and looked to sell the plane instead of taking delivery. Following this development, Air Austral announced in May 2012 that it would defer or cancel its order for two Airbus A380s, with a decision to be made by the end of June 2012. at
Suvarnabhumi Airport In June 2013, Air Austral introduced direct flights to
Chennai, India with its new Boeing 737-800s. In February 2015, the company announced an order for two Boeing 787-8s, to be delivered in May and October 2016 respectively. In March 2015, it also announced the lease of 2 more B777-300ER from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). These aircraft, delivered in late 2016, replaced the oldest two models of the same type then operated by Air Austral. at
Charles de Gaulle Airport In November 2015, the company sold its single Boeing 777-200LR to Florida-based broker
Atlas Aviation, which became the "Crystal Skye" ultraluxury air cruise aircraft. Air Austral simultaneously announced the lease, from November 2015 to May 2016, of a Boeing 737-300QC (QC for quick change) from ASL Airlines France (formerly
Europe Airpost). The plane involved was F-ODZZ, a convertible version of the 737–300 (a cabin that can be changed from passenger to freight configuration) that had already been in Air Austral service between 1997 and 2005. It was used until the first of two Boeing 787-8s ordered by the company was delivered in May 2016. In October 2017, Air Austral signed a strategic partnership agreement with
Air Madagascar to become the airline's minority shareholder, owning a 49% stake in the company, after the two companies established their relationship in 2016. The move was done in part to help Air Madagascar return to profitability and facilitate stronger connections within the regional market for the two airlines. In July 2018,
Kenya Airways signed a memorandum of understanding to join the partnership in an effort to strengthen
Nairobi's connections to Réunion and Madagascar and to also open up the possibilities of codesharing between the three carriers. The agreement was later finalized by the three airlines in December 2018. However, in November 2019, reports revealed that the partnership between Air Austral and Air Madagascar was at risk of dissolution after Air Austral did not contribute its second payment of €25 million for its equity share in the airline.
A380-800 that Air Austral leased in 2018. In August 2018, Air Austral began
wet leasing an Airbus A380 from charter airline
Hi Fly after it grounded one of its Boeing 787s due to inspections of the plane's
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. In October 2019, Air Austral announced it was developing its plans to renew its fleet. That month, the airline signed a purchase agreement for three
Airbus A220-300 aircraft that would replace its two Boeing 737-800 and ATR 72-500 aircraft. The airline projects it may begin renewing its long-haul fleet beginning in 2023. ==Destinations==