
Innsbruck is developing into a footballer's favorite
Over the last 15 years, the Austrian airport in Innsbruck has become a popular landing place for training camps for professional football teams. Charter and special flights land regularly at the Tyrolean airport. Friendly matches, training camps and major sporting events bring professional athletes to Tyrol. Before the 2008 European Football Championship, only a few football charters could be welcomed in Innsbruck, but since the 2008 European Championship, Tyrol and Innsbruck airport have become enormously popular with football clubs. In the year of the 2008 European Championship, a record-breaking 90 rotations of teams were handled. One highlight was the eventual European champions from Spain, who had set up their - very successful - training camp in Tyrol. "When the Spaniards landed after winning the final, but above all on the return flight to Spain in the afternoon in front of hundreds of fans, indescribable scenes played out here," recalls airport manager Marco Pernetta, who still fondly remembers it today. Since then, there have been an average of between 15 and 20 football charters in the summer months. The airport handles the different requirements of the teams in a very routine manner. People here are used to smooth and well-organized apron pick-ups, cheering fans, autograph requests and press interviews. In summer 2021, a total of around 30 football charters will be handled. These include 13 different airlines from 11 nations traveling from/to 14 countries via Innsbruck. Five of the teams are national teams (Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Russia). The gallery below shows the highlights of the past few years: