Environmental Concerns Delay Vienna Airport’s Third Runway

Environmental Concerns Delay Vienna Airport’s Third Runway

APA/HERBERT PFARRHOFER

Vienna Airport plans to make a decision by 2026 on whether to proceed with the construction of a third runway. Environmental organizations and citizens’ initiatives have been campaigning against the proposed runway for years. “We have a lot of work ahead of us in the next 12 months,” said Vienna Airport CEO Julian Jäger on Monday at the Economic Journalists Club in Vienna. The airport is currently awaiting a decision from the Administrative Court (VwGH) regarding the project.

The VwGH is currently reviewing a complaint filed by Vienna Airport to determine whether the shortened delay for the construction permit, reduced from 2033 to 2030 by the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG), is legally valid. In 2023, the airport requested a postponement for the third runway construction and was granted an extension of 9.5 years for the first expansion phase. An environmental organization and four citizens’ initiatives filed a complaint against the decision of the Lower Austrian state government regarding the deadline extension, prompting the BVwG to reduce the delay to 6.5 years. Environmentalists fear that a third runway at Vienna-Schwechat will result in more climate-damaging emissions from air traffic.

Airport Supervisory Board Must Still Discuss the Third Runway

Airport board member Günther Ofner called the fact that the duration of the legal proceedings before the BVwG was already factored into the delay “grotesque.” He expects the VwGH to follow the airport’s legal view. Ofner stated that the decision on whether the third runway should be built at Vienna-Schwechat is “a carefully considered decision” and must still be “coordinated with the supervisory board.” “The framework conditions must be right,” Ofner said at the Economic Journalists Club.

The “third runway” project has been a topic at Vienna Airport since the early 2000s. Initially, a mediation process with local residents was launched. In 2007, the airport submitted the Environmental Impact Statement (EIA) and project documents for the additional runway. In 2019, the VwGH gave final approval for the third runway. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the aviation crisis in 2020 and 2021 delayed the project. Before the pandemic, work was planned to begin in 2024 or 2025. Since 2022, the global aviation industry has been recovering. This year, Vienna Airport is expected to either surpass or nearly match its 2019 passenger levels.

Expansion of Terminal 3 to Cost 420 Million Euros

To continue growing, the airport is investing in its terminals in Vienna. In February, construction will begin on the southern expansion of Terminal 3, with a budget of 420 million euros. “We are on schedule for the construction timeline until mid-2027, and the budget is on track,” said Vienna Airport CEO Jäger. The 70,000-square-meter expansion, which includes 10,000 square meters for shopping and dining, will provide “a dramatic improvement in the experience.” With “Viennese brands,” the airport aims to create “a better Austrian experience.”

After the expansion of Terminal 3, the North Pier at Vienna Airport will be extended to provide airlines with more docking positions. Austrian Airlines is dissatisfied with the current situation, but there is “no timeline” and “no cost estimate” at this stage, according to airport board member Jäger.

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