The Austrian aviation industry recorded a significant increase in passenger numbers in 2024. According to the Association of Austrian Airports (AÖV), a total of 35,5 million passengers were handled at the country's six commercial airports, an increase of 7% over the previous year. This development underlines the importance of regional airports for the economic and tourist development of their respective regions. Against this background, the AÖV welcomes the new federal government's commitment to the state airports, which is anchored in the government program.
The detailed analysis of passenger numbers shows that Vienna Airport recorded an increase of 31.719.836% compared to 7,4 with 2023 passengers. Salzburg Airport increased by 10,7% to 1.787.169 air travelers, while Graz Airport reported an increase of 11,8% to 819.273 passengers. In contrast, there were declines at Innsbruck (-4,9% to 862.202 passengers), Linz (-22,4% to 180.694 passengers) and Klagenfurt (-10,2% to 137.844 passengers) airports. The total number of scheduled and non-scheduled flight movements increased by 4,8% to 271.479 take-offs and landings, but remained 15,1% below the 2019 level. The average aircraft load factor increased by 0,9 percentage points to 79,7%.
A remarkable growth was also recorded in freight volume, which increased by 17,7% year-on-year to 374.607 tonnes. These figures underline the role of Austrian airports as international hubs for business and tourism.
Mag. Julian Jäger, President of the AÖV and CEO of Flughafen Wien AG, emphasized the economic importance of the aviation industry: "Austrian aviation is currently one of the few industries that still generates real economic growth. With 8,2 billion euros, it generated around 1,75% of GDP and thus secured over 83.000 jobs - directly or indirectly."
Despite the positive development, there are challenges. The temporary suspension of hub connections, for example between Innsbruck and Frankfurt and Linz and Frankfurt, prevented better results at these locations. Mag. Norbert Draskovits, Vice President of AÖV and Managing Director of Linz Airport, underlined the importance of these connections for the regional airports.
The AÖV sees the federal government's support as an opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of Austrian airports. Growth-promoting conditions, such as the abolition of the national ticket tax, could help to increase the attractiveness of the locations. One example of this is Sweden, which provided positive impetus for the aviation industry by abolishing the ticket tax.
The Association of Austrian Airports (AÖV), founded in 1956, represents the interests of the state airports in Austria. Members are the airports of Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg and Vienna. The aim of the AÖV is to promote cross-company cooperation, regular exchange of information on operational processes and the representation of common concerns in national and international decisions in the aviation sector.
The positive development of passenger numbers and the support from the federal government could help to strengthen the position of Austrian airports in international competition in the long term. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how global challenges and regional conditions will affect the future development of the aviation industry in Austria.
The AÖV emphasizes the need to strengthen the Austrian aviation industry and to create conditions that promote growth in order to continue to participate in the global upswing.
Overall, it appears that the Austrian aviation industry is on a positive path despite some challenges. Support from the federal government and the implementation of growth-promoting measures could help to further strengthen airports as important economic factors and international gateways.
The coming years will show how effectively the planned measures are implemented and what impact they will have on the development of the Austrian aviation industry. Close cooperation between the government, airport operators and other stakeholders will be crucial to continue the positive trends and successfully meet the challenges.
The AÖV remains optimistic and sees the current developments as confirmation of the importance of Austrian airports for the economy and tourism. With the support of the federal government and the implementation of suitable measures, the airports could further expand their role as international hubs and contribute to strengthening the Austrian economy.
The next steps will show how the industry responds to the challenges and what measures are taken to secure and expand the competitiveness of Austrian airports in international comparison.
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