New destination fixed

Vacation plane to bring guests to Carinthia

Klagenfurt Airport finds new destinations.(Bild: Christian Tragner)

The gloomy times at Klagenfurt Airport should be over. More and more new destinations are being served from the airport. From May 1 to October 31, a connection to the northern German metropolis of Hanover will also be added to the existing flight schedule - twice a week.

There are always positive dates at Klagenfurt Airport. "The times of bad news are over," says Martin Gruber, Vice President and Head of Participation. From May 1 to October 31, a connection to the northern German metropolis of Hanover will be added to the existing flight schedule - twice a week. A 76-seater Dash Q8-400 will take off for the trade fair city on Mondays and Thursdays. The departure times are convenient at 2.30 p.m. and 12 noon for the return flight.

However, it is not only Carinthians who will be using the new connection, but above all German vacationers. "Around nine million people live within a radius of Hanover. And northern Germany is one of our target markets," says Airport Managing Director Maximilian Wildt.

A tour operator and beds are also already available for holidaymakers. The tour operator UKS Touristik wants to accommodate German holidaymakers in Carinthia's 4- and 5-star hotels. Tyrol has already gone down this route. However, Carinthia is only at the bottom of the league in this hotel category in Austria. You have to catch up. "We offer package deals and hope for an occupancy rate of 70 percent. Our target group is short breaks," says UKS Tourism Managing Director Christian Henkel.

Sebastian Schuschnig, Martin Gruber, Maximilian Wildt, Christian Henkel and Martin Payer are heading for Hanover.(Bild: Christian Tragner)

And this should not only benefit tourism, but also the airport. The contract was concluded for one year, "but we have come to stay," says Henkel. UKS Touristik could win over even more airports for Klagenfurt in the future.

"We are currently flying to Vienna, Hamburg, London, Alicante and Mallorca in 2025," says Wildt. In order to have the expected 200,000 passengers a year, more destinations are needed. "Finding new airlines is hard work, you have to clean a lot of door handles," says Gruber. "Bringing the airport back to the country and the city was the right decision. Things are looking up."

Soon, areas belonging to the airport will also be leased. The lease fee would benefit the airport.