Vienna International Airport (german: Flughafen Wien-Schwechat; ) is the
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...
of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, the capital of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, located in
Schwechat
Schwechat () is a town southeast of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. The city is home to the refineries of the Austrian national oil company OMV.
Geography
Schwechat is named after the river Schwechat, whi ...
, southeast of central Vienna and west of
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
, the capital of
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. It is the country's largest airport and serves as the hub for
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its hub ...
as well as a base for low-cost carriers
Wizz Air
Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...
and
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...
. It is capable of handling
wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin ...
up to the
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
. The airport features a dense network of European destinations as well as long-haul flights to
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. In 2020, the airport handled 7.8 million passengers, a 75.3% decrease compared to 2019 due to the
collapse of air traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
Early years
Originally built as a military airport in 1938 and used during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as the
Heinkel
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, with ...
firm's southern military aircraft design and production complex, or ''Heinkel-Süd'' facility, it was taken over by the British in 1945 and became RAF Schwechat under the occupation of the country. In 1954, the ''Betriebsgesellschaft'' was founded, and the airport replaced
Aspern
Aspern () is part of Donaustadt, the 22nd district of Vienna, Austria.
History
The area is known because of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which was fought in the nearby Lobau on 21 and 22 May 1809. In that battle, the Austrian army, led by Arch ...
as Vienna's (and Austria's) principal aerodrome. There was just one
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
, which in 1959 was expanded to measure . The erection of the new airport building began in 1959.
In 1972, another runway was built. In 1982, the airport was connected to the national motorway network (
Ostautobahn
The (Austrian) Ost Autobahn A4 or "Eastern Motorway" is part of the European route E60 and goes from Vienna to the town of Nickelsdorf, on the Hungarian border.
The road begins at the A23 at the Prater junction in Vienna, travels through Simm ...
). In 1986, the enlarged arrivals hall was opened, and in 1988 Pier East with 8 jet bridges was opened.
On 27 December 1985, the
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (, he, אל על נתיבי אויר לישראל בע״מ), trading as El Al (Hebrew: , "Upwards", "To the Skies" or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ar, إل-عال), is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural ...
ticket counter was attacked by
Abu Nidal
Sabri Khalil al-Banna (May 1937 – 16 August 2002), known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Nidal, was the founder of Fatah: The Revolutionary Council, a militant Palestinians, Palestinian splinter group more commonly known as the Abu Nidal ...
, a
Palestinian terrorist
Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence perpetrated for political ends in relation to the State of Palestine or in connection with Palestinian nationalism. Common political objectives include self-determination in and soverei ...
organization that simultaneously conducted a
terrorist attack at Fiumicino Airport in Rome.
, one of the few publicly traded airport operators in Europe, was privatised in 1992. The state of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
and the
City of Vienna
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
each hold 20% of the shares, the private employee participation foundation holds 10%, with the remaining 50% held privately. The shares are part of the
Austrian Traded Index The Austrian Traded Index (ATX) is the most important stock market index of the Wiener Börse. The ATX is, like most European indices, defined as a price index and currently consists of 20 stocks.
Annual Returns
The following table shows the ann ...
.
In 1992, the new Terminal 1 was opened and a year later the shopping area around the plaza in the transit area of the B, C and D gates was opened. In 1996, Pier West with 12 jetbridges became operational.
Development since the 2000s
In 2006, the tall control tower started operating. It allows a free overview of the entire airport area and offers a night laser show, which aims to welcome the passengers even from the aircraft. From 2004 to 2007, an Office Park had been erected offering of rentable space. A VIP- and general aviation-terminal, including a separated apron, opened in 2006.
To accommodate future growth, in 1998 Vienna Airport published a master plan that outlined expansion projects until 2015. These projects included a new office park, railway station, cargo center, general aviation center, air traffic control tower, terminal, and runway. Additionally, the plan called for streamlined security control.
The centerpiece of the enlargement was the new terminal, dubbed Skylink during its construction. In 2002, the airport's management estimated that building the new terminal will cost €401.79 million.
However, costs skyrocketed and in 2009 stood at an estimated €929.5 million.
The Austrian
Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government institution performing financial and/or legal audit (i.e. Statutory audit or External audit) on the executive branch of power.
See also
*Most of those in ...
then recommended that the airport implement several cost-savings measures, which in the Court's estimate brought down final costs to €849.15 million, still more than double the original plans.
On June 5, 2012, the new ''Austrian Star Alliance Terminal'' (Terminal 3, named ''Skylink'' during its construction) was opened, which enables the airport to handle up to 30 million passengers per year. Construction started in 2004 and was suspended due to projected cost increases in 2009, but resumed in 2010. The maximum planned costs totaled less than €770 million.
Following concerns over the mismanagement of the Skylink project, chief executive Herbert Kaufman agreed to resign at the end of December 2010. The new building with its North Pier has 17 jetbridges and makes the airport capable of handling more aircraft, although the new terminal is not able to handle
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
aircraft. However, the older Concourse D will see an upgrade to accommodate the A380.
Terminals
![Vienna_airport_terminal_3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Vienna_airport_terminal_3.jpg)
The airport has four terminal buildings named ''Terminal 1, 2'' and ''3'' which are directly built against each other as well as the additional ''Terminal 1A'' located opposite Terminal 1. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect to the five concourses. The central arrivals hall for all terminal areas is located in Terminal 3.
Terminals
*Terminal 1 underwent refurbishment in January 2013 and is now mainly used by some
Oneworld
Oneworld (stylised as oneworld; Computer reservations system, CRS: *O) is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance for the world's frequent international traveller ...
and
SkyTeam
SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances. Founded in June 2000, SkyTeam was the last of the three alliances to be formed, the first two being Star Alliance and Oneworld, respectively. Its annual passenger count is 630 million ...
airlines along with
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the w ...
,
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...
and
Wizz Air
Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...
.
*Terminal 1A, located in a standalone building opposite Terminal 1. It hosted check-in facilities for a number of
low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (occasionally referred to as '' no-frills'', ''budget'' or '' discount carrier'' or ''airline'', and abbreviated as ''LCC'') is an airline that is operated with an especially high emphasis on minimizing op ...
s, but remains closed since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
*Terminal 2 was refurbished between 2016 and late 2021
[austrianaviation.net - "Vienna Airport: New terminal, new routes"](_blank)
(German) 30 March 2016 and now features new security screening areas and a revamped
baggage reclaim
image:Baggage_reclaim_hahn_airport.jpg, 200px, Baggage carousel
In airport terminals, a baggage reclaim area is an area where arriving passengers claim checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline fixed-wing aircraft, flight. The altern ...
.
[aerotelegraph.com - "Bald kann der Flughafen Wien seine neue Gepäckhalle eröffnen" ("Soon Vienna Airport can open its new baggage hall")](_blank)
5 June 2021
*Terminal 3, also referred to as the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenger ...
Terminal, with its adjoining Concourses F and G is the airport's newest facility. It is used by
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its hub ...
, most
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenger ...
members, and a number of other carriers including
Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
,
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (, he, אל על נתיבי אויר לישראל בע״מ), trading as El Al (Hebrew: , "Upwards", "To the Skies" or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ar, إل-عال), is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural ...
,
Korean Air
Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights.
The present-day Korean Air ...
,
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines ( ar, ; transliterated: ''Al-Malakiyyah al-'Urduniyyah''), formerly known as Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of Jordan with its head office in the capital, Amman. The airline operates scheduled ...
and
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. ( ar, القطرية, ''al-Qaṭariya''), operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke netw ...
. A planned expansion has been postponed indefinitely.
Concourses
*Concourse B is in the basement of Concourse C and features Gates B31–B42 (boarding by buses) for
Schengen
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
destinations.
Since 2021 it is temporarily used to handle non-Schengen bus arrivals. In 2022 it has been refurbished to assume that role permanently.
*Concourse C (''pier west'') for Schengen destinations; features Gates C21-24) (boarding via buses), C31–C42 (jetbridges) C71–C75 (boarding via buses)
*Concourse D (''pier east''; formerly ''Concourse A'') for non-Schengen destinations with shared passport control at the entrance of pier east; features Gates D21–D29 (boarding via jetbridges), D31–D37 (boarding via buses), D61–D70 (buses).
*Concourse F (Level 1 of ''pier north'') is used for Schengen destinations and consists of Gates F01-F37 (jetbridges and buses)
*Concourse G (Level 3 and basement of ''pier north'') for non-Schengen destinations; shared passport control at the entrance of Level 3; features Gates G01-G37 (jetbridges and bus gates) and G61-67 (boarding via buses).
[viennaairport.com - airport map](_blank)
retrieved 29 October 2022
Expansion projects
Third runway
Vienna Airport originally projected that it would need a third runway by 2012, or 2016 at the latest, in the event of cooperation with nearby
Bratislava Airport
M. R. Štefánik Airport ( sk, Letisko M. R. Štefánika; german: Flughafen M. R. Štefánik) , also called – especially in English – Bratislava Airport ( sk, Letisko Bratislava; german: Flughafen Pressburg or Flughafen Bratislava) or ''Bra ...
.
The third runway is planned to be parallel to and south of the existing runway 11/29. It will be designated 11R/29L, with the existing runway being renamed 11L/29R. The new runway is planned to be 3680 m long and 60 m wide, and equipped with a category III
instrument landing system
In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...
in one direction (29L).
The airport projected that a third runway will be necessary by 2025 prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, however, environmental organizations and some local communities oppose construction. These groups have attacked the decision of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
(the state in which the airport is located) to move ahead with the first phase of construction; verdict from the administrative court that has taken up the lawsuit was expected later in 2015. As of September 2016, there were ongoing public protests while no legal decision had been made. On 28 March 2018, the Austrian Federal Administrative Court ruled in favour of a third runway.
Terminal expansions and refurbishments
In July 2019, the refurbishment of Terminal 2 started and neared completion in late 2021.
Once Terminal 2 is fully reopened, Concourse D was planned to be closed for refurbishment at the beginning of 2021 and expected to open again in 2023. In addition to that, a completely new building was supposed to be built which is supposed to connect the existing pier east and pier north. The so-called ''T3 Southern Enlargement'' will be offering 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft) of leisure area and new additional bus gates. The opening had been planned for 2023, however the project has been delayed indefinitely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Vienna International Airport:
Cargo
Statistics
Traffic figures
Busiest routes
Ground transportation
Train
![Bahnhof VIE - Bahnsteige Ost](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Bahnhof_VIE_-_Bahnsteige_Ost.JPG)
The
Vienna S-Bahn
The Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban commuter rail network in Vienna, Austria. As opposed to the city-run urban metro network, the Vienna U-Bahn, it extends beyond the borders of the city, is operated by the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways), and cons ...
line
S7 provides a local service to the city centre taking approx. 25 minutes. The more expensive
City Airport Train
The City Airport Train (CAT) is an express airport rail link train that connects Vienna International Airport and Vienna city center (Wien Mitte railway station) in 16 minutes without intermediate stops.
Basic facts
The City Air Terminal Betri ...
connects the airport directly to
Wien Mitte railway station
Wien Mitte is a rail and U-Bahn station in Vienna, close to the city centre. It is the city terminus of Vienna's City Airport Train (CAT), which provides non-stop service to Vienna International Airport. The station is a major hub for S-Bahn sub ...
, close to the city centre, in 16 minutes.
Additionally, the underground railway station has been expanded to accommodate long-distance trains. Since December 2014, the first trains passing
Vienna's new main station,
ICE
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
services from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, terminate at the airport. Since December 2015,
ÖBB Railjet services operate to the airport as well. Long-distance train rides between the airport and the main station take approx. 15 minutes.
Car
The airport lies directly adjacent to motorway A4 which leads from central
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
to
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. It has its own exit named ''Flughafen Wien-Schwechat''.
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
can be reached via motorway A6 which splits from the A4 in the east. Taxis and car rental facilities are available at the airport. There are also several taxi companies that operate at the airport.
Bus
Buses operate from the airport to various places in Vienna and to other cities including
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
,
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
and
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
.
Accidents and incidents
* In 1955, a
Convair CV-340
The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...
crashed on approach to the airport, killing 7 of the 29 passengers and crew on board. This is the last fatal aviation accident to occur at Wien-Schwechat Airport.
* On 27 December 1985,
1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks
The Rome and Vienna airport attacks were two major terrorist attacks carried out on 27 December 1985. Seven Arab terrorists attacked two airports in Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria with assault rifles and hand grenades. Nineteen civilians were ...
* On 12 July 2000,
Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378
Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378 (HF-3378) was a passenger service operated by Hapag-Lloyd Flug from Chania, on the island of Crete, Greece, to Hannover, Germany. On 12 July 2000, the aircraft flying the route, an Airbus A310-304, registration with ...
crashed short of the runway at the airport on the final approach of its diverted flight due to
fuel exhaustion
In an internal combustion engine, fuel starvation is the failure of the fuel system to supply sufficient fuel to allow the engine to run properly, for example due to blockage, vapor lock, contamination by water, malfunction of the fuel pump or in ...
. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
aviation-safety.net - Accident description
retrieved 14 December 2017
See also
* Transport in Austria
This article provides an overview of the transportation infrastructure in the country of Austria.
Railways
''total'': 6,123 km (3,523 km electrified)
''standard gauge:'' 5,639 km gauge (3,429 km electrified).
''narrow ga ...
* List of airports in Austria
This is a list of airports in Austria, sorted by location
__TOC__ Airports
Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines.
, - valign=top
, Bad Vöslau
,
, LOAV
,
, Vöslau Airfield
, ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{authority control
Airports in Austria
Airports established in 1938
Wien-Umgebung District
Schwechat
Transport in Vienna
Buildings and structures in Lower Austria
International airports in Austria