Smart Airports - Joe Bates
The €500 million expansion of Vienna Airport continues, with the gateway’s joint CEO, Julian Jäger, recently sharing a post on social media showing the ongoing transformation of Terminal 2.
The facelift is part of the Austrian airport’s ambitious development programme, which will see also see it add a 70,000sqm extension to Terminal 3 by the end of 2023.
Posting on Linkedin, Jäger notes: “We build for the future! There will be life after hashtag#corona and we are preparing vigorously on all levels.
“The restructuring of our Terminal 2 is in full swing and will bring new, centralised security checks, new lounges and more convenience for our passengers. I look forward to the opening, which we will celebrate in less than a year from now!”
As well as revamping Terminal 2 and the airport’s Pier East, a new 70,000sqm building known simply as ‘T3 Southern Enlargement’, is also part of the airport’s expansion and renovation programme, which is expected to last until 2023.
Speaking about the projects, Jäger said: “The modernised Terminal 2 will open at the end of 2020 and starting in 2023 the modernised Pier East and the new Southern Enlargement project will offer passengers a new, high-quality experience for them to linger, shop and eat.
“The large-scale investments are designed to make the terminal landscape more attractive and comfortable, and our passengers will experience a completely new quality during their stay.
“However, Vienna Airport will be a big construction site until it shines in new splendour in the year 2023 and hopefully earns the 5-Star Airport Rating.”
VIE is no different to other airports in the fact that the current COVID-19 driven downturn in traffic is all very different to 2019, when it handled a record 31.7 million passengers – 17% up on the previous year.
The total meant that it ranked among Europe’s 20 busiest airports for the first time and the gateway also improved its punctuality record, becoming the third most punctual airport in Europe for its size, and 15th in the world.
Talking about the airport’s 2019 performance, Jäger said: “This showed that our quality enhancement measures are having a positive impact, and we are resolutely moving ahead with our efforts to become a 5-Star Airport.”
