Niki was an Austrian leisure airline founded by Formula One racing driver Niki Lauda in 2003. Operating under the IATA code HG and ICAO code NLY with callsign FLYNIKI, the airline focused on low-cost and leisure travel across Europe, particularly serving sun destinations from Austria and Germany. The airline was acquired by Air Berlin in 2011, becoming a key part of that group's operations. When Air Berlin filed for insolvency in August 2017, Niki's fate became uncertain, leading to a complex series of attempted acquisitions involving Lufthansa and ultimately IAG's Vueling before insolvency proceedings concluded. Niki ceased operations in December 2017 following the collapse of Air Berlin and failed acquisition attempts. A brief revival effort occurred in early 2018 when Niki Lauda reacquired the brand assets and relaunched operations under the Laudamotion name, which was subsequently acquired by Ryanair.