At the Aviation Event 2023, Julian Jäger, CEO of Vienna Airport, gave an exclusive insight into his airport's future plans. It was also about the recovery after the corona pandemic, the airport's clear goals and the commitment to climate protection.

The challenges of the corona pandemic have brought global air traffic to a standstill. But it's not just dealing with the pandemic that poses problems for air traffic. Solutions for climate neutrality or the geopolitical conflicts in the middle of Europe and the Middle East are also causing problems for international air traffic. Julian Jäger, CEO of Vienna Airport, was able to present some approaches to these topics at the Aviation Event 2023 in Vienna.

Recovery from the corona pandemic

Vienna Airport board member Julian Jäger emphasized the massive effects of the corona pandemic at the Aviation Event 2023 in Vienna. The future was considered uncertain and economic success could not be guaranteed. But these theses are now a thing of the past; Vienna Airport was able to completely decouple itself from the pandemic and thus take the first steps towards further success. No sooner said than done: Vienna Airport is now having its second best year, as Jäger proudly reports. The recovery after the pandemic is mainly due to the stakeholder relationships and the many airlines. Despite the recovery from the Corona crisis, the Executive Board of Flughafen Wien AG was able to identify and identify a problem. Despite good overall figures, no significant improvement could be seen in German-speaking air traffic. Both Germany-Austria and Switzerland-Austria traffic are still below the 2019 level, said Jäger. In contrast, very successful interactions with the rest of Europe can be recorded. These are above the level of the pre-Corona year 2019.

Strengths and weaknesses of Vienna Airport: On the way to 5 stars

At the Aviation Event 2023, Vienna Airport board member Julian Jäger was also able to point out the positive aspects and strengths of the airport. Vienna Airport is in the top 5 when it comes to punctuality. Other strengths of the airport are its operational processes, which Jäger praised. According to Jäger, the weaknesses clearly lie in the airport's infrastructure. Improvements are being made successively here, as the expansion of Terminal 3 shows. There will be more space for VIPs, security and general waiting areas. The flight processes that can be automated are also to be revolutionized in the future; biometrics will explicitly be used during check-in in order to increase comfort for the individual passenger. However, this is only possible if there is cooperation between airlines and airports and the airlines are prepared to establish standards to make these automated processes possible. Because the goal is clear: Vienna Airport should become a 5-star airport.

Climate protection and CO2 neutrality

Despite all the focus on competitiveness, Jäger also sees Vienna Airport as having a responsibility for environmental protection. According to the board of Flughafen Wien AG, the goal is to be CO2 neutral by 2033. In order to achieve this goal, other actors must also be brought on board. Without the support of the Austrian government it would not be possible to achieve these ambitious goals. At the same time, he warned against neglecting the focus on climate protection at the expense of competitiveness.