The aviation symposium, organized by the Aviation Industry Austria industry association, took place at Vienna-Schwechat Airport on December 5, 2023. High-ranking representatives from politics and aviation companies took part in this event.

Peter Hanke, City Councilor for Finance, Economics, Labor and International Affairs of the City of Vienna, Francesco Sciortino, COO of Austrian Airlines, Valerie Hackl, Managing Director Austro Control, Julian Jäger Günther Ofner, Board Member of Flughafen Wien AG, Katharina List, CEO F-List , Hannes Hecher, CEO Schiebel, Alexander Vagacs, CEO Avconjet, Barbara Achleitner, Managing Director DHL Air Austria and many other experts discussed the top topics in the industry and Martin Kocher, Federal Minister of Labor and Economic Affairs, also spoke in favor of further development via a video message of aviation. The focus of the discussion was the importance of air transport for location quality, the technical innovations developed by air transport for the overall economy and the importance of reliable air transport in crises.

“Aviation is an essential part of mobility and connectivity – in the present and in the future. It is not only an important economic engine, but also makes a decisive contribution to international exchange and understanding. In Austria we are in the extraordinary situation that a network of innovative aviation companies has been formed that is developing world-leading service and technology solutions for the mobility of tomorrow. As a service and technology partner, we have a decisive competitive advantage and have made a name for ourselves worldwide in establishing new solutions. Together we can help make aviation even more sustainable – not just in Austria but globally,” said Robert Machtlinger, President of AI Austria and CEO of FACC AG.

The Aviation Symposium 2023 offered an exciting discussion of central aviation topics, such as the importance of flight connections for the country's competitiveness and business location, as well as the role of aviation for security of supply in crises. International trends, future-oriented technical innovations that are also important for sectors of the economy outside of aviation and why aviation is important for everyone, even for those who fly little or not at all, were also discussed.

“Austrian aviation has proven its resilience during the crisis and is growing again. We can be proud of this together as an industry. Vienna Airport is one of the most punctual hubs in Europe and offers excellent connectivity with many direct destinations. We are growing sustainably - we have been running our airport operations CO2023-neutrally since January 2 and are already investing in our next climate goal: NetZero by 2033. In order for aviation to become even more sustainable, we need the right framework conditions, research funding and urgent support and investment in decarbonization and production sustainable fuel,” adds Julian Jäger, Vice President of AI Austria and Board Member of Flughafen Wien AG.

“Aviation is an indispensable part of the country’s competitiveness. Business and tourism need good connectivity. Without aviation, Vienna would not be a congress city, would not be the headquarters of the United Nations and there would not be hundreds of branches of foreign companies in Austria,” says Peter Malanik, Managing Director of AI Austria, adding: “Air traffic means securing locations, innovation and crisis management - services that the Aviation can rightly point to self-confidence.”