Vienna International Airport

Vienna Airport is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, southeast of central Vienna and west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronautical Information Publication is Wien-Schwechat Airport. It is the country's largest airport and serves as the hub for Austrian Airlines as well as a base for low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air. It is capable of handling wide-body aircraft up to the Airbus A380. The airport features a dense network of European destinations as well as long-haul flights to Asia, North America and Africa.

History

Early years

Originally built as a military airport in 1938 and used during World War II as the Heinkel 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 Wien-Aspern Airport as Vienna's (and Austria's) principal aerodrome. There was just one runway, 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). 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 ticket counter was attacked by Abu Nidal, a Palestinian terrorist 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 and the City of Vienna each hold 20% of the shares, the private employee participation foundation holds 10%, with the remaining 50% held privately. The shares used to be part of the Austrian Traded Index but were removed in September 2017.

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 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 5 June 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 aircraft. However, the older Concourse D will see an upgrade to accommodate the A380.

Since the opening of Terminal 3, a few terminals and concourses underwent refurbishment. Terminal 1 and Concourses B and D were refurbished between 2012 and 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, a refurbishment of Terminal 2 took place, which has now got a new security check for the C and D concourses.

Terminals

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 was built in 1990, operating as the second terminal of the airport. It underwent refurbishment in January 2013 and is now mainly used by some Oneworld and SkyTeam airlines along with Turkish Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air.
*Terminal 1A, a standalone building opposite Terminal 1, originally built as a temporary complex in 2005. It hosts check-in facilities for a all kind of carriers, including leisure airlines like Condor or SunExpress, along with legacy and long haul carriers like Hainan Airlines or China Airlines. For renovation purposes the terminal had been temporarily closed in early 2025 and was reopened in modernized appearance April 2025.
*Terminal 2 was finished in 1960, when it was the only terminal of the airport. A huge extension was built in 1993, when the Plaza opened. Because of the opening of the new Terminal 3, the check-in area of Terminal 2 stopped operating in 2012. It was refurbished between 2016 and 2022 and now features new security screening areas and a revamped baggage reclaim, which is connected to the baggage reclaim of Terminal 3. The original Terminal 2 is now used as the entrance of Concourses C and D.
*Terminal 3, also referred to as the Austrian Star Alliance Terminal, with its adjoining Concourses F and G is the airport's newest facility. It was built between 2006 and 2012. It is used by Austrian Airlines, most Star Alliance members, and a number of other carriers including Emirates, El Al, Korean Air and Qatar Airways. 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 destinations. Since 2021 it was temporarily used to handle non-Schengen bus arrivals. In 2022 it has been refurbished to assume that role permanently.
*Concourse C (pier west) was finished in 1996. It is used 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'') opened 1988 and is used 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 D has been closed and partially refurbished during the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Concourse F (Level 1 of ''pier north'') was finished in 2012, when the new Terminal 3 opened. It is used for Schengen destinations and consists of Gates F01-F37 (jetbridges and buses) and Gates F71-F75 (bus gates)
*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).

Expansion projects

Terminal 3 expansion

In addition to the aforementioned refurbishments of existing passenger facilities, a completely new building is under construction as of early 2024, which is supposed to connect the existing pier east and pier north. The so-called ''T3 Southern Enlargement'' will be offering of leisure area, 10,000 m² of which will be used for shops and restaurants etc. The building will also feature 18 new additional bus gates, including 9 gates for Schengen Destinations and 9 gates for Non-Schengen Destinations. The opening had originally been planned for 2023, however, the project had been delayed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2023 it was announced that the construction of the new building was then set to start in mid-2023. Construction for the new terminal annex subsequently started in February 2024 with a completion date expected for early 2027.

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. 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 long and wide, and equipped with a category III instrument landing system in one direction (29L).

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the airport projected that a third runway will be necessary by 2025, however, environmental organizations and some local communities oppose construction. These groups have attacked the decision of Lower Austria (the state in which the airport is located) to move ahead with the first phase of construction. A 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.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Vienna Airport:

Cargo

Statistics

Traffic figures

Busiest routes

Ground transportation

Train

The Vienna S-Bahn line S7 provides a local service to the city centre taking approx. 25 minutes. The more expensive City Airport Train connects the airport directly to Wien Mitte railway station, 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 services from Germany, 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 to Budapest. It has its own exit named ''Flughafen Wien-Schwechat''. Bratislava 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, Budapest and Brno.

Accidents and incidents

* In 1955, a Convair CV-340 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
* On 12 July 2000, Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378 crashed short of the runway at the airport on the final approach of its diverted flight due to fuel exhaustion. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

See also

* Transport in Austria
* List of airports in Austria
* Wien-Aspern Airport

References

External links

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Airports in Lower Austria
Airports established in 1938
Buildings and structures in Lower Austria
Airports in Austria
Schwechat
Transport in Vienna
Wien-Umgebung District