Austria's six commercial airports welcomed a total of around 2025 million passengers in the first quarter of 7,3. This represents a slight increase of 1,1 percent compared to the same period last year.
Air freight performed particularly well, increasing by a remarkable 6,2 percent to 89.851 tons. The Austrian Airports Association (AÖV) views this positive development as a sign of the continued high demand for air travel, although regional differences in passenger development are observed. A key factor for the quarterly result is the shift of the busy Easter holidays to April, which was not the case in the same quarter last year.
Regional differences in passenger development
A detailed analysis of the individual airports reveals a heterogeneous picture. While Vienna Airport, Austria's largest airport, continues to play a central role with a passenger increase of 1,8 percent to over six million passengers, other regional airports recorded more significant changes. Klagenfurt and Linz airports performed particularly well, with growth rates of 25,1 percent and 31,0 percent, respectively.
These increases indicate a positive development in regional air traffic. In contrast, Graz and Salzburg airports experienced declines in passenger traffic. In Graz, the number of air travelers fell by 8,2 percent, largely due to the discontinuation of the important Amsterdam connection. Salzburg Airport also recorded a decline of 5,0 percent, which is attributed to the cancellation of flights by Wizz Air. Innsbruck Airport achieved moderate growth with a slight increase of 1,2 percent.
| passengers 1-3/2025 | passengers 1-3/2024 | Δ in % | |
| GRZ | 137.331 | 149.642 | -8,2 |
| INN | 532.975 | 526.716 | 1,2 |
| KLU | 21.678 | 17.327 | 25,1 |
| Lnz | 27.114 | 20.703 | 31,0 |
| SZG | 582.250 | 613.149 | -5,0 |
| FRI | 6.018.204 | 5.910.563 | 1,8 |
| TOTAL | 7.319.552 | 7.238.100 | 1,1 |
Passengers (arriving, departing and transit, scheduled and charter)
Increase in flight movements underlines desire to travel
In addition to the increased number of passengers, Austrian commercial airports also recorded an increase in flight movements in the first quarter of 2025. A total of 70.269 takeoffs and landings were recorded, representing an increase of 4,2 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Vienna Airport contributed significantly to this development, with an increase of 5,0 percent to 48.603 flight movements. Flight movements also increased significantly in Salzburg and Linz. Only Graz recorded a slight decline. The unchanged number of flight movements in Innsbruck and the significant increase in Klagenfurt underscore the different dynamics at the individual locations.
The air freight segment performed particularly positively in the first quarter of 2025. With an increase of 6,2 percent to 89.851 tons, this segment recorded significantly stronger growth than passenger traffic. This indicates robust economic activity and high demand for fast transport solutions. These figures impressively underscore the importance of Austrian airports as key hubs for freight transport.
Outlook for the summer months
Julian Jäger, President of the AÖV and CEO of Flughafen Wien AG, is optimistic about the future: "With the upcoming summer and the associated peak travel season, the signs point to further growth."
Norbert Draskovits, Vice President of the Austrian Airport Association (AÖV) and Managing Director of Linz Airport, also emphasized the indispensable role of regional airports in connecting people and markets. The Association of Austrian Airports sees the positive development in the first quarter as confirmation of the high demand for air travel and the importance of airports for the country's economy and tourism.
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