After 20 years of planning

Vienna Airport drops “third runway” project

Symbolic image(Bild: P. Huber)

Vienna Airport has announced that it does not intend to build a third runway in Schwechat. This decision was reached after an "in-depth analysis". The mega project will not be pursued any further and a new runway project "cannot be ruled out" in the future. 

"Following an in-depth analysis of all relevant decision-making factors, the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG decided today (Tuesday, note)", the company announced in the evening. The planned two-runway system and expansions could also be used for further growth.

In addition to the massive increase in projected construction costs to around two billion euros, the general conditions have also changed fundamentally as a result of the prolonged duration of the proceedings, according to the Management Board's statement. "Another decisive factor in the decision is that the largest airline customers at the site have a negative attitude towards the project and that the economic basis for the investment cannot be provided without refinancing through higher tariffs."

Planned since the early 2000s
The "third runway" project has occupied Vienna Airport since the early 2000s and was considered one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. It started with a mediation process with the local residents. In 2007, the airport submitted the environmental impact statement (EIS) and the project documents for the additional runway. Almost two decades of bureaucracy followed.

In 2019, the Administrative Court (VwGH) gave the final green light for the third runway. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the aviation crisis in 2020 and 2021 delayed the project. Before the coronavirus crisis, the plan was to start work in 2024 or 2025. In the end, time pressure probably also played a role: The airport would have had until 2030 to complete the project, but the Federal Administrative Court recently rejected an extension until 2033. 

Airport: two-runway system is enough
The end came as a surprise, as the two board members Günther Ofner and Julian Jäger had originally announced a decision for 2026. However, the company has now announced that it can continue to grow with the planned two-runway system and expansions. The plan is to handle up to 52 million passengers a year, it added. A new runway project is "not ruled out" at the current time.