Linz Airport will once again have a direct connection to the international air traffic hub Frankfurt from the end of March 2026. The Danish airline Danish Air Transport (DAT) will take over the strategically important route and plans to increase the frequency to up to 17 weekly flights after an initial operating phase.
To ensure the economic viability of the route and minimize the financial risk for the airline, the state of Upper Austria has approved financial support in the form of a public service obligation (PSO). This subsidy amounts to a total of up to €36 million over a period of four years.
The decision by the state of Upper Austria to provide substantial subsidies has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from the neighboring state of Salzburg. Bernhard Auinger, mayor of Salzburg and a member of the supervisory board of the city's airport, described the subsidies as distorting competition. He cautioned that the artificially boosted connection between Salzburg and Linz could draw passengers away from the shared catchment area. According to official statements, Salzburg does not subsidize air travel with public funds, leading officials there to critically assess Upper Austria's economic policy.
In addition to regional political differences, the subsidy is also sparking a fundamental debate about the use of taxpayer money in air transport. While the Chamber of Commerce and industry representatives defend the connection as essential for Upper Austria's export sector, critics question the proportionality of the millions in payments. The Danish airline DAT is expected to use regional aircraft on the route to optimize capacity utilization. The success of the connection depends significantly on whether the regional economy makes sufficient use of the service compared to traveling to Vienna by train or to driving to Munich.
The legal basis for the funding rests on EU regulations that permit state aid for flight routes only under strict conditions, such as when a region would be cut off from the international transport network without this assistance. Linz Airport had fought for some time to reinstate the Frankfurt rotation after the withdrawal of Lufthansa subsidiary Air Dolomiti. The next four years will show whether the route, under DAT's management, stabilizes sufficiently to operate without public funds after the funding period ends, or whether passenger flows within the Austrian airport landscape will simply be permanently shifted.