The Austrian Infrastructure Report 2024, published in November 2025 by the Future Business Austria initiative, highlights the urgent need to promote and secure Vienna Airport as an indispensable hub for international air traffic.
The study, based on a survey of domestic managers and industry experts, shows broad support for targeted infrastructural and regulatory improvements. These include expanding terminal capacities, optimizing multimodal connections and increasing the promotion of sustainable fuels in order to ensure the location's long-term competitiveness and ecological responsibility.
Vienna Airport as a strategic hub
A key finding of the report is the great importance of Vienna Airport for Austria's economy. Around 200 direct international connections position the airport as one of the region's leading air traffic hubs, whose continued existence and expansion are crucial for the country's prosperity and economic connectivity.
61 percent of the managers surveyed see Vienna as an international aviation hub, while 69 percent demand that it be further secured and expanded. Airport board member Dr. Günther Ofner emphasizes that the planned investment of 420 million euros in the terminal infrastructure are important steps to keep the location internationally competitive.
competitive advantages and regulatory hurdles
A significant part of the report is devoted to a critical analysis of the current EU regulations. According to many managers, these regulations hinder market access and the competitiveness of European airports by slowing down the use of environmentally friendly, CO₂-neutral fuels (Sustainable Aviation Fuels, SAF).
According to Dr. Ofner, European aviation needs around twelve million tons of SAF per year to meet legal requirements. However, production capacities are currently too low, which keeps prices high and makes climate-friendly conversion difficult. A broad majority of respondents are therefore calling for a reform of the regulations to promote the development and use of SAF.
security standards and infrastructural challenges
Another demand concerns the introduction of uniform, high security standards for European airspace surveillance. This measure, which 72 percent of managers support, is intended to improve both the efficiency and security of the European air traffic network. Another concern is the expansion of the capacities of Austrian airports: 57 percent of respondents are in favor of this in order to be able to cope with the increasing number of passengers. In addition, 49 percent support the construction of a third runway at Vienna Airport in order to increase operational flexibility and respond to growing demand.
Climate-neutral aviation by 2050
The 2025 Infrastructure Report places particular emphasis on sustainability and the reduction of CO₂ emissions. Aviation is to be made climate-neutral by 2050, a vision that 62 percent of executives support.
The EU plans to gradually add SAF from 2025, starting with two percent. As Ofner emphasizes, the consistent introduction of sustainable fuels could make an important contribution to the decarbonization of the industry, but current regulations and hesitant infrastructure development make this project considerably more difficult.
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