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20. 01. 12. - 16:00

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20. 01. 12. - 16:00

VIA passenger figure stagnation expected

Difficult times are ahead for Vienna International Airport (VIA or VIE), according to the aerodrome’s bosses.

Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner – who head Flughafen Wien AG (FW), the firm which manages VIA – said yesterday (Thurs) they expected passenger figures to stagnate or grow by only one per cent this year. Ofner said the bleak outlook for the European economy was a considerable factor for the performance of Austria’s biggest airport.

VIA – where around 80 airlines do business – registered 21.11 million passengers last year, up by 7.2 per cent compared to 2010 when more people than ever before were counted. Jäger said especially the number of people on flights to destinations in Eastern Europe (EE) jumped (plus 14.9 per cent).

Figures for people using connections to airports in Western Europe improved by seven per cent while links to African aerodromes sustained a passenger decline of 30.1 per cent.

The number of passengers on flights to North America grew slightly from 2010 to 2011 (plus 2.3 per cent) while figures for services to destinations in South America developed poorly (minus seven per cent).

Detailed business figures of VIA show that one in two of all arrivals and departures at the airport were operated by Austrian Airlines (AUA) and its affiliates. FlyNiki claimed a share of 11.6 per cent. Air Berlin, which owns FlyNiki, took third place last year in this regard with 6.5 per cent. Lufthansa, which acquired a majority stake in AUA in 2009, operated 5.2 per cent of all flights at VIA in 2011.

The number of flights remained steady in 2011 at around 246,100, Ofner said. He announced that costs of the construction of new terminal Skylink "will not surpass 770 million Euros". The project suffered several delays over the years due to immense cost overruns and alleged corruption. Prosecutors and the Audit Office (RH) are investigating the construction. Offices and homes of former project managers and building firm chiefs were raided.

Ofner explained Skylink would help VIA to provide capacities for 30 million passengers. The terminal will open for business in around half a year. A series of tests is currently carried out. "We noticed various mistakes and complications," Ofner said. The businessman added: "I prefer solving them now instead of being confronted with such difficulties when Skylink is in operation."

FW is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange (WBAG). The city of Vienna and the provincial government of Lower Austria are the firm’s main stakeholders. Both political institutions hold a share of 20 per cent in the airport which is situated south-east of Vienna.

Ofner said in September that Airbus A380 jets could soon land at VIA. The biggest passenger aircraft in the world today is too large to touch down at the airport at the moment. The FW co-chief revealed that Skylink’s facilities could be changed slightly to allow regular landings and takeoffs of the plane.

Ofner stressed that he had not yet received any official requests by airlines to operate the airplane at VIA. Reports have it that Emirates is interested in using its A380 fleet to operate between VIA and Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Austrian Times

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