“With (Governor) Haider, no airport can be made future-oriented.” SPÖ-LAbg criticizes wholeheartedly. Peter Kaiser 2006 the Haider plans. At that time, however, the airport still had 400.000 passengers. Today the subsequent use is regulated.

The airport's balance after 10 years of state governor Peter Kaiser: The perception limit is only just exceeded. With the now officially completed “renationalization” of the KLU, a long-standing tragedy including the barracks farce should finally come to an end. Actually, it is a “repatriation”, because after being state owned, the airport was already owned by the state before the (failed) privatization took place. Will the “transformation” be a success this time? In any case, the stakeholders do not exactly exude great optimism. One has the impression that the airport's 110th anniversary next year will be a second-class memorial service. The decision-makers do not seem to want to initiate the take-off mode yet because there are still legal consequences. Who knows what's to come... But for the time being, we've got our hands full managing the disaster anyway. There is agreement that the airport should remain an airfield and not, as an ORF satirist suggested, that it will become a climatic health resort or training ground for climate adhesives.

However, they are determined to take off again with their “core business”. But question marks are already cropping up again, because in addition to flight operations, the “valorization of land not necessary for operations” is mentioned as an important core task. It's supposedly about 46 hectares (!) that the airport doesn't need anyway. “Valuation” is a typical emotive word in Carinthia. The alarm lights go on immediately. What exactly is “non-operational”? One does not know. In any case, the “valuation” of the properties that are not necessary for operations are being carried out very quickly because business settlements supposedly create income and jobs. But that's exactly what hasn't worked so far. Despite the acclaimed business settlements, there is poverty in the country and all communities, including the state capital, fear that a financial collapse will soon lead to insolvency. Even the “innovation metropolis” of Villach is at risk of being grounded. Two of the most powerful companies in the country have been operating directly at Klagenfurt Airport for years. One has the largest private jet fleet in Austria and is the world export champion and the other is a neighboring country

one of the most important logistics providers worldwide. However, no cargo plane has yet taken off in Klagenfurt. Not one kilogram of air freight! But consultant Höffinger sees the future for regional airports in the air freight business in particular. “The importance of air freight for society has become obvious, not least because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” states the BMK Aviation Strategy 2040+ and is committed to supporting and further developing the federal state airports – if they themselves are willing to do so. This does not seem to be the case in Carinthia. We are good enough for ourselves: “It’s my life!”

The income from the business aviation business in Klagenfurt is at least so secret that no one knows about it. It makes sense to assume that if, in addition to the freight business, one were to actually use all the income opportunities that the only state airport in Carinthia offers, there would hardly be a square meter of land left that is not necessary for operations. A focus should probably be on the infrastructure sector, where Carinthia is at the bottom of Austria. Examples: Garage (in Schwechat you probably earn more with garage spaces than in Klagenfurt with plane tickets), Alpe-Adria deployment/disaster protection base, (open) business aviation services, army base, air traffic control south, emergency doctor, fuel storage, pharmaceutical handling center, Cargo drone research (over 20 companies in Austria are involved in unmanned aviation), air taxis (research), Road feeder service, Belly Freight, aviation sports center, etc. More than 220 organizations in Austria work in different areas of aviation - none at Klagenfurt Airport. OK, at least there is already a car rental company.

Insider Vàclav Klaus explained the difference between capitalism and communism like this: In communism, companies are first nationalized and then ruined. Under capitalism they are first ruined and then nationalized. But for us it is a “transformation”. Almost an emergence of collective ownership. This fits with the new Marxist orientation of the SPÖ.

This guest comment was made by peter baumgartner written and first published by the Wandzeitung portal.