Vienna International Airport
| Vienna International Airport Flughafen Wien-Schwechat |
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| IATA: VIE – ICAO: LOWW | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Private | ||
| Operator | Flughafen Wien AG | ||
| Serves | Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia | ||
| Location | Schwechat, Austria | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 183 m / 600 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 48°06′37″N 016°34′11″E / 48.11028°N 16.56972°ECoordinates: 48°06′37″N 016°34′11″E / 48.11028°N 16.56972°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
 VIE
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 11L/29R | 3,500 | 11,483 | Asphalt |
| 16/34 | 3,600 | 11,811 | Asphalt |
| 11R/29L(Planned)[1] | 3,680 | 12,070 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Statistics (2012) | |||
| Aircraft Movements | 244,650 | ||
| Passenger Movements | 22,165,794  5.0% |
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| Source: Austrian AIP at EUROCONTROL[2] Vienna Airport[3] | |||
Vienna International Airport (IATA: VIE, ICAO: LOWW) (German: Flughafen Wien), located in Schwechat, 18 km (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 municipality it is in. The airport is capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340, although not currently the Airbus A380. The airport is the hub of Austrian Airlines and its subsidiaries, as well as Niki.
During 2012, the airport handled a total of 22,165,794 passengers, representing a respective 5.0% increase compared to 2011, and 244,650 aircraft movements.[3]
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History [edit]
Originally built as a military airport in 1938, and used during World War II as the Heinkel firm's southern production complex, or Heinkel-Süd facility, it was taken over by the British 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 3,000 m (9,843 ft). The erection of the new airport building starting in 1919. 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 (today: Check-In 1) was opened and a year later the shopping area around the plaza in the transit area of the B,C and D gates. In 1996 Pier West with 12 jetbridges got in operation. Until its closing in 2003 the airport featured a Harrods. In 2006 the 109 m (358 ft) tall control tower started operating. It allows a free overview of the entire airport area and offers a night laser show, which should welcome the passengers even from the aircraft. 2004-2007 an Office Park had been erected offering 69.000m² of rentable space. A VIP- and general aviation-terminal, including a separated apron, opened in 2006.
On June 5, 2012, the new Austrian Star Alliance terminal (formerly Skylink) was opened, which enables Vienna Airport to handle 30 million passengers per year. Construction started in 2004 and was suspended due to projected cost increases in 2009, but resumed in 2010. The maximum planned costs totaled less than € 770 million.[3] Following concerns over the mismanagement of the Skylink project, chief executive Herbert Kaufman agreed to resign at the end of December 2010.[4] The new building with its South Pier has 17 jetbridges and makes the airport capable of handling more aircraft, although further upgrades will be required to accommodate the Airbus A380.
Public transportation [edit]
The cheapest way to the airport is by taking the S-Bahn. The line S 7 stops at every station. The more expensive CAT , the City Airport Train, connects the airport directly to Wien Mitte station close to the city center in just 16 minutes (where S-Bahn trains also stop). Furthermore there are also buses from the airport to various places in Vienna and to other cities (including Bratislava, Budapest, Brno). The S-Bahn, however, is the only means of transport from Vienna to the airport on which the standard integrated tickets for the Vienna region are valid (those also allow further travelling by underground, bus or tram, which the CAT tickets don't).
Terminal [edit]
Vienna International Airport has one terminal separated into four check-in areas, and five concourses. Between 2004 and 2012, a new terminal building called Austrian Star Alliance Terminal (former Skylink) was built, where Check-in 3 and the new central arrivals hall are now located. This new building opened on 5 June 2012. All terminal facilities are operated by the Flughafen Wien AG. In addition the airport has a unique VIP-Terminal.
Check-In Areas [edit]
Check-in 1 (formerly known as Terminal 1) has been undergoing refurbishment until January 2013 and is now mainly used by Air Berlin and Niki as well as several other oneworld and SkyTeam airlines. Check-in 1A (formerly known as Terminal 1A) is a temporary building, built to offer more space for low-cost carriers. Check-in 2 (formerly known as Terminal 2), a building from the 1960s, has been used by numerous foreign airlines and was closed down for either renovation or rebuilding in January 2013. Check-in 3 is used by the Austrian Airlines Group, Emirates, Qatar and most Star Alliance members.
Concourses [edit]
Area D (formerly area A) ("pier east"): Gates D21–D29 (only jetbridges), D31–D37 (only buses), D61–D70 (only buses) Serving international flights. The passport control is located at entrance of pier east. There are gates with jetbridges and busgates)
Area B: Gates B22–B43 (only buses) Only serves Schengen flights.
Area C ("pier west"): Gates C31–C42 (only jetbridges), C35–C41 transfer gates, C71–C75 (only buses) Several gates are used for Schengen flights but also for international flights (the passport control for those flights proceeds directly at the gates). The busgates C71-C75 serve only Schengen flights.
Area F ("pier south") Gates F01-F37 (jetbridges as well as busgates) Only serves Schengen flights and is situated on level 1. These gates are used by Austrian Airlines for all Schengen flights and most of Star Alliance members.
Area G ("pier south") Gates G01-G37 (jetbridges as well as busgates) Only serves international flights. It is situated on level 3 and uses the same jetbridges and busgates like area F. These gates are used by Austrian Airlines for all international flights and other Star Alliance members.
Flughafen Wien AG ownership structure [edit]
Flughafen Wien AG, one of the few quoted airport operators in Europe, was privatised in 1992.
Shareholders are:[5]
- Province of Lower Austria: 20%
- City of Vienna: 20%
- Private employee participation foundation: 10%
- Private shareholders: 50%
Expansion plans [edit]
Because of its constant growth in passenger numbers and freight Austria's biggest airport is undergoing major construction works with several new and extensively adapted buildings since 2004.
Among others, remarkable projects like the new tower and the terminal expansion "Austrian Star Alliance Terminal"- check-in 3 (former Skylink) have been completed by now.
- Railway station: The underground railway station will be completely expanded to offer space for long-distance trains. With the completion of the Central Station in 2015, the airport will also get connected from there. It will allow long-distance trains and perhaps a new S-Bahn line to reach the airport, so that the frequency of S-Bahn trains becomes higher than the current 30 minutes.
- Renovations in old stock: Until January 2013 check-in 1 has been refurbished. Further construction work will concern pier east and pier west. The B and C-gates already got a central security control in June 2012.[6] The airport's management will decide by spring 2013 either to refurbish or demolish and rebuild the old check-in 2.
- Third runway: A third runway is to be constructed 2,400 m (7,900 ft) south of 11L/29R. The runway will be numbered 11R/29L and will be 3,680 m (12,070 ft)[7]
Airlines and destinations [edit]
Passenger [edit]
Cargo [edit]
Statistics [edit]
Busiest routes [edit]
| Rank | Airport | Passengers Handled | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Frankfurt |
952,074 | ||
| 2 |  London |
898,140 | ||
| 3 |  Zurich |
788.401 | ||
| 4 |  Paris |
758,552 | ||
| 5 | Düsseldorf |
636,606 | ||
| 6 | Berlin |
555,205 | ||
| 7 | Munich |
492,322 | ||
| 8 | Hamburg |
485,225 | ||
| 9 |  Moscow |
463,639 | ||
| 10 |  Amsterdam |
455,923 | ||
| Source: Statistik Austria[16] | ||||
| Rank | Airport | Passengers Handled | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankfurt |
1,065,890 | ||
| 2 | London |
910,883 | ||
| 3 | Zurich |
877,636 | ||
| 4 | Paris |
791,314 | ||
| 5 | Düsseldorf |
709,619 | ||
| 6 | Berlin |
629,862 | ||
| 7 | Moscow |
563,309 | ||
| 8 | Munich |
534,179 | ||
| 9 | Hamburg |
529,211 | ||
| 10 | Amsterdam |
520,222 | ||
| Source: Statistik Austria | ||||
Accidents and incidents [edit]
There has not been a fatal aviation accident at Vienna International Airport since 1955, when a Convair CV-340 crashed on approach to the airport, killing 7 of the 29 passengers and crew on board.[17]
- On 12, July 2000, Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378 crashed short of the runway at Vienna International Airport. The cause of the incident was fuel exhaustion. Nobody on board was killed.
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?rel=en&content-id=1309364648141&reserve-mode=active
- ^ EAD Basic
- ^ a b c http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?rel=de&content-id=1351048408438&news_beitrag_id=1357856078464
- ^ "Airline Industry and Aviation Safety News from Flightglobal". Retrieved 2010-12-19.
- ^ http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?content-id=1249344074274&rel=en&reserve-mode=active
- ^ http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?rel=en&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1249344074280&news_beitrag_id=1337918240847 ,called June 6, 2012
- ^ Construction Project
- ^ http://viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?rel=de&content-id=1297902370651&reserve-mode=active
- ^ "Work Programme: Austrian Concludes Transfer from Flight Operations into Tyrolean".
- ^ http://www.aviation.ca/2012110913745/news/international/other/13745-austrian-airlines-to-fly-to-chicago-from-17th-may-2013
- ^ http://airlineroute.net/2012/11/22/os-gpajkh-may13/
- ^ http://viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/va/main.jart?rel=de&content-id=1297902370651&reserve-mode=active
- ^ http://www.minoanair.com/en/Home
- ^ [1]
- ^ Turkish Airlines Cargo Winter Schedule
- ^ Übersichtstabellen zum Luftverkehr auf österreichischen Flughäfen 2010
- ^ Aircraft accident Convair CV-340-58 YU-ADC Wien-Schwechat International Airport
External links [edit]
Media related to Vienna International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Vienna International Airport, official site
- Current weather for LOWW at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for VIE at Aviation Safety Network
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