The Austrian Ministry of Defense is planning to invest around 120 million euros on the Klagenfurt Airport site and to build a new large barracks. This is to be built on an area of ​​around ten hectares and will be used in particular in the event of crises and disasters.

Civil aviation at Carinthian Airport has been declining for several years. The hopes that state politicians had placed in majority privatization have so far failed to turn the tide. Since the number of passengers has fallen below a contractually agreed threshold due to the corona pandemic, the state government is even examining the call option and thus bring the airport back into state ownership.

In the military sector, it was gradually reduced over the years. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) is now making an offer to Klagenfurt Airport: she wants to build new barracks on areas that are not relevant to flight operations. Furthermore, a permanent helicopter base is to be set up and Klagenfurt is to become a competence and research center for military drones. All in all, the Ministry of Defense wants to invest around 120 million euros.

However, the project is anything but fixed, because there is disagreement about what should happen with the space required for it. For example, majority owner Lilihill another project, which includes a logistics park. In addition, the state government of Carinthia opposed to the sale of land. At most, a lease would be conceivable. The ÖVP in particular is pushing for the call option to be used and for the privatization to be reversed. At the end of this month, the supervisory board of the Kärntner Beteiligungsgesellschaft will meet and will discuss how to proceed. Conversely, Lilihill intends to take over the shares still held by the public sector, so that Klagenfurt vshould be fully privatized. In the autumn, the state government initially rejected this.

Thus, some discrepancies between the shareholders must first be clarified before the planned military project can be negotiated. How long Klaudia Tanner's patience will last is another matter. Therefore, the further developments in Carinthia have to be awaited.