Vienna International Airport
Encyclopedia
Vienna International Airport , located in Schwechat
and 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of central Vienna
, is the busiest and biggest airport
in Austria
. It is often referred to as Schwechat
, the name of the county it is in. The airport is capable of handling wide-body aircraft
such as the Boeing 747
and Airbus A340
. The airport is the hub of Austrian Airlines
and its subsidiaries, as well as Niki.
During 2009, the airport handled a total of 18,114,103 passengers, representing a 8.3% decrease compared to 2008. In 2010, the airport handled 19,691,206 passengers, an 8.7% increase over 2009.
in 1945. In 1954, the Betriebsgesellschaft was founded, and the airport replaced Aspern
as Vienna's (and Austria's) principal aerodrome. There was just one runway
, which in 1959 was expanded to measure 3000 metres (9,843 ft). The erection of the new airport building starting in 1960. In 1972 another runway was built. In 1982 the airport was connected to the national motorway network (Ostautobahn
).
The airport received Olympic teams as Austria has twice hosted the Winter Olympics. Pope John Paul II
also used the airport during his visits to Austria. On December 27, 1985, the El Al
ticket counter was attacked by Palestinians terrorists. (See Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks
.) In 1986, the enlarged arrivals hall was opened and in 1988, Pier East with 8 jetbridges.
In 1992, the new terminal 1 was opened and a year later the PLAZA Shopping mall in the transit area. In 1996, Pier West was opened with 12 jetbridges. The airport formerly featured a Harrods
, but it closed in 2003.
s. In addition to these terminals Vienna also has a unique VIP Terminal. In 2004, the airport started building a new terminal, SKYLINK, which will make the airport more capable of dealing with higher passenger volumes (2010: 19.7 million). This new terminal will also make the airport capable of handling more and bigger aircraft, including the Airbus A380
.
All Terminals are operated by Fraport, Vienna Airport Handling, Swissport and Austrian Airlines. After completion of SKYLINK, Austrian Airlines and its partners will move to the new Terminal.
Gates D21–D29 (only Jetbridges), D31–D37 (only Buses), D61–D70 (only Buses)
International Flights
(Transit-Zone; Passport-control at entrance/exit of the hall; Gates with Jetbridges and Busgates)
Hall B:
B22–B43
Europe (Schengen) Flights
(Busgates)
Hall C ("Pier West"):
C31–C42 (only Jetbridges; Gates C35–C41 Transfer Gates), C71–C75 (only Buses)
Europe (Schengen) Flights, partial international flights
(Gates with Jetbridges; Several gates are used for Europe (Schengen) flights and also for international flights; for international flights: Gates are called Transfergates; Passport control at the respective gates; passengers from international-to-international flights are going at arrival at one of the C-Gates, in front of the immigration-passport-control, to the transitzone to ground-floor, where they have access to other International Flights from the C-Gates and a shuttlebus-connection to the international hall D; Passengers arriving at the international hall D with an international connection-flight from one of the C-Gates use also the shuttlebus) New Busgates C71 to C75 opened on 2 April 2008, access via Gate C31, only Schengen-Operations
(Stopping at all stations from Floridsdorf
Station until Rennweg Station, and usually all intermediate stops on the airport branch ) line stops at the airport. The more expensive (City Airport Train
) connects the airport directly to the Wien Mitte station close to the city center, where S-Bahn trains also stop but take a slightly longer time because of 7 intermediate stops. There are also many buses from the airport to various places in Vienna and to other cities; however, the S-Bahn line is the only means of transport from Vienna to the airport on which the standard integrated tickets for the Vienna region are valid (as a result, they also allow further travelling by underground, bus or tram, which the CAT tickets don't).
After the construction of Main Railway Station
, a line called "S70" is scheduled to be opened which will connect the airport to that railway station, so that the frequency of S-Bahn trains becomes higher than the current 30 minutes. There are no plans to extend any underground
line to the airport although it has sometimes been proposed to extend line U3 (currently terminating at Simmering
) there; this would be the first underground line extending beyond Vienna's city limits.
's biggest airport with several new and respectively adapted buildings.
Following concerns over the mismanagement of the VIE-Skylink project, chief executive Herbert Kaufman agreed to resign at the end of December 2010.
Vienna is served by the following scheduled airlines:
Additionally, several airlines operate charter flights out of the airport, including Air VIA
, Arkia Israel Airlines
, Bulgarian Air Charter
, Freebird Airlines, Sky Airlines
and SunExpress
.
Schwechat
Schwechat is a city south-east of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. It is also home to the refineries belonging to the Austrian national oil company OMV.- Geography :...
and 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of central Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, is the busiest and biggest airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It is often referred to as Schwechat
Schwechat
Schwechat is a city south-east of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. It is also home to the refineries belonging to the Austrian national oil company OMV.- Geography :...
, the name of the county it is in. The airport is capable of handling wide-body aircraft
Wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
such as the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
and Airbus A340
Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
. The airport is the hub of Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...
and its subsidiaries, as well as Niki.
During 2009, the airport handled a total of 18,114,103 passengers, representing a 8.3% decrease compared to 2008. In 2010, the airport handled 19,691,206 passengers, an 8.7% increase over 2009.
History
Originally built as a military airport in 1938, it was taken over by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1945. In 1954, the Betriebsgesellschaft was founded, and the airport replaced Aspern
Aspern
Aspern is part of Donaustadt, the 22nd district of Vienna.In 1904, the formerly independent village was incorporated into Vienna as part of the 21st district, Floridsdorf. Only in 1946 did it become part of the newly created 22nd district, Donaustadt. The area is known because of the Battle of...
as Vienna's (and Austria's) principal aerodrome. There was just one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
, which in 1959 was expanded to measure 3000 metres (9,843 ft). The erection of the new airport building starting in 1960. In 1972 another runway was built. In 1982 the airport was connected to the national motorway network (Ostautobahn
Ostautobahn
The Ost Autobahn A4 or "Eastern Motorway" is part of the Europastraße E60 and goes from Vienna to the town of Nickelsdorf, on the Hungarian border....
).
The airport received Olympic teams as Austria has twice hosted the Winter Olympics. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
also used the airport during his visits to Austria. On December 27, 1985, the El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
ticket counter was attacked by Palestinians terrorists. (See Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks
Rome and Vienna airport attacks
The Rome and Vienna airport attacks were two major terrorist strikes carried out on December 27, 1985.- The attacks :At 08:15 GMT, four gunmen walked to the shared ticket counter for Israel's El Al Airlines and Trans World Airlines at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport outside Rome, Italy, fired...
.) In 1986, the enlarged arrivals hall was opened and in 1988, Pier East with 8 jetbridges.
In 1992, the new terminal 1 was opened and a year later the PLAZA Shopping mall in the transit area. In 1996, Pier West was opened with 12 jetbridges. The airport formerly featured a Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, but it closed in 2003.
Terminals
Presently, Vienna International Airport has three terminals: The main terminals 1 and 2 and a provisional terminal 1A, built to offer more space for low-cost carrierLow-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
s. In addition to these terminals Vienna also has a unique VIP Terminal. In 2004, the airport started building a new terminal, SKYLINK, which will make the airport more capable of dealing with higher passenger volumes (2010: 19.7 million). This new terminal will also make the airport capable of handling more and bigger aircraft, including the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
.
All Terminals are operated by Fraport, Vienna Airport Handling, Swissport and Austrian Airlines. After completion of SKYLINK, Austrian Airlines and its partners will move to the new Terminal.
Concourses
Hall D (formerly Hall A) ("Pier East"):Gates D21–D29 (only Jetbridges), D31–D37 (only Buses), D61–D70 (only Buses)
International Flights
(Transit-Zone; Passport-control at entrance/exit of the hall; Gates with Jetbridges and Busgates)
Hall B:
B22–B43
Europe (Schengen) Flights
(Busgates)
Hall C ("Pier West"):
C31–C42 (only Jetbridges; Gates C35–C41 Transfer Gates), C71–C75 (only Buses)
Europe (Schengen) Flights, partial international flights
(Gates with Jetbridges; Several gates are used for Europe (Schengen) flights and also for international flights; for international flights: Gates are called Transfergates; Passport control at the respective gates; passengers from international-to-international flights are going at arrival at one of the C-Gates, in front of the immigration-passport-control, to the transitzone to ground-floor, where they have access to other International Flights from the C-Gates and a shuttlebus-connection to the international hall D; Passengers arriving at the international hall D with an international connection-flight from one of the C-Gates use also the shuttlebus) New Busgates C71 to C75 opened on 2 April 2008, access via Gate C31, only Schengen-Operations
Public transportation
The Vienna S-BahnVienna S-Bahn
The Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban metro railway 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 , and consists of many branch lines...
(Stopping at all stations from Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf is the 21st district of Vienna, Austria .Floridsdorf is located in the northern part of Vienna.The District Office and the centre of Floridsdorf are located round Am Spitz, at the junction of Prager Straße and Brünner Straße .Since 2004, Floridsdorf has had its own tower: the...
Station until Rennweg Station, and usually all intermediate stops on the airport branch ) line stops at the airport. The more expensive (City Airport Train
City Airport Train
The City Airport Train connects the Vienna International Airport directly to the Wien Mitte railway station close to the Vienna city center daily from 5:38 am to 11:35 pm.- Basic facts :...
) connects the airport directly to the Wien Mitte station close to the city center, where S-Bahn trains also stop but take a slightly longer time because of 7 intermediate stops. There are also many buses from the airport to various places in Vienna and to other cities; however, the S-Bahn line is the only means of transport from Vienna to the airport on which the standard integrated tickets for the Vienna region are valid (as a result, they also allow further travelling by underground, bus or tram, which the CAT tickets don't).
After the construction of Main Railway Station
Wien Hauptbahnhof
Wien Hauptbahnhof is the name for a railway station under construction in Vienna, Austria. It will replace the Südbahnhof terminal station with a through station which links four major railway lines that converge on Vienna from the North, East, West and South...
, a line called "S70" is scheduled to be opened which will connect the airport to that railway station, so that the frequency of S-Bahn trains becomes higher than the current 30 minutes. There are no plans to extend any underground
Vienna U-Bahn
The Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...
line to the airport although it has sometimes been proposed to extend line U3 (currently terminating at Simmering
Simmering (Vienna)
Simmering is the 11th district of Vienna, Austria . It borders the Danube and was established as a district in 1892. Simmering has several churches, some museums, schools, old castles, and many cemeteries.- History :...
) there; this would be the first underground line extending beyond Vienna's city limits.
Masterplan 2015
Because of its constant growth in passenger numbers and freight, Vienna International Airport has decided to enlarge AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's biggest airport with several new and respectively adapted buildings.
- New TowerTowerA tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
: A new TowerTowerA tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
was built. With its 109 metres (357.6 ft) of height, it allows a free overlook of the entire airport area and it offers another spectacular sight: a night laser show, which should welcome the passengers even from the aircraft.
- New Terminal: Due to constant passenger and freight growth, Vienna International Airport has planned to build another TerminalAirport terminalAn airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
, SKYLINK, which should be able to compensate higher passenger rates. Construction started in 2004 and will last until 2012. Construction had been suspended recently due to projected cost increases, but has since resumed. Operations in the new terminal are planned to start during the first half of 2012. The total cost of the project is now 830 million EUR.
- Third RunwayRunwayAccording to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
: Due to higher aviation rates, the construction of a third runway is considered.
- Railway station: The underground railway station will be enlarged and a connection to BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
will be constructed. Additionally the (City Airport TrainCity Airport TrainThe City Airport Train connects the Vienna International Airport directly to the Wien Mitte railway station close to the Vienna city center daily from 5:38 am to 11:35 pm.- Basic facts :...
), which connects the centre of ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with the airport in just 16 minutes, will receive a new underground railway station.
Following concerns over the mismanagement of the VIE-Skylink project, chief executive Herbert Kaufman agreed to resign at the end of December 2010.
Passenger airlines
Additionally, several airlines operate charter flights out of the airport, including Air VIA
Air Via
Air VIA is a charter airline based in Varna, Bulgaria, operating charter flights on behalf of the largest European tour operators, most of them from a broad range of European destinations into Varna Airport and Burgas Airport, as well wet lease subservices....
, Arkia Israel Airlines
Arkia Israel Airlines
Arkia Israel Airlines , usually referred to as Arkia is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is Israel's second largest airline operating scheduled domestic and international services as well as charter flights to destinations in Western Europe...
, Bulgarian Air Charter
Bulgarian Air Charter
Bulgarian Air Charter is a charter airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operates charter services for tour operators between the two Bulgarian Black Sea airports Burgas Airport, Varna Airport and in winter season to Plovdiv Airport and Sofia Airport to European countries. Its main base is Sofia...
, Freebird Airlines, Sky Airlines
Sky Airlines
Sky Airlines is an airline which operates chartered flights. It is based in Antalya, Turkey, operating on behalf of tour operators on short and medium haul routes into Turkey. The company was established in 2000 and started operations in 2001. It is wholly owned to by Kayi Group...
and SunExpress
SunExpress
SunExpress is an airline based in Antalya, Turkey. It operates scheduled and charter flights to destinations in Europe. Its main base is Antalya International Airport .-History:...
.
Cargo airlines
External links
- Vienna International Airport, official site