Vienna Airport (Flughafen Wien) has decided not to proceed with its planned third runway, citing a “massive increase” in its cost, a lack of support from airlines and a 17-month-long legal hold-up.
Management board members Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner said on 25 November that the projected cost had risen to around €2bn.
They also said their largest airline customers oppose the project, which was a “decisive factor in the decision” because “without refinancing through higher fares, the investment is not economically viable”.
And 17 months after appealing against the Federal Administrative Court’s decision retroactively to make environmental organisations parties to proceedings concerning the extension of the construction period – a decision the airport called “legally incomprehensible” – the airport is still waiting for an answer.
Expansion plans and a digital twin
Nevertheless, they said the airport can still achieve its plan to grow passenger numbers from around 30 million today to 52 million in part because bigger planes now carry nearly twice as many people as they did 20 years ago.
The airport plans to start expanding its Terminal 3 in 2027, adding 70,000 sq m of space to the building’s three levels.
To assist with that, the airport has teamed up with software firm Nemetschek to use its digital twin technology to digitally map its infrastructure so it can manage projects and facilities better.
“This gives us a constant, up-to-date overview of the structural and technical infrastructure, which we can then incorporate into construction projects and operations,” said Stefan Kovacs, Head of Planning, Construction and Asset Management at Vienna Airport.
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