The opposition expressed doubts about the government's planned minimum prices for airline tickets. However, the Minister of Transport is convinced that this can be implemented in accordance with current EU law.

On Tuesday, the National Council's Transport Committee focused on a debate on aviation policy by Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). In particular, the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and the minimum prices for tickets planned by the green politician were discussed.

Gewessler also discussed that she wanted to negotiate at EU level on the reform of air traffic control, known as the Single European Sky. At the same time, she wants to negotiate a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from aviation. Another focus would be alternative fuels, their degree of application is currently still negligible. The aviation industry is facing great challenges here. From the point of view of climate protection, shifting short distances to rail is the most sensible way, but that also requires an expansion of high-speed city connections and connections to the eastern neighbors. Another element is the increase in the number of night trains.

Leonore Gewessler also admitted that the implementation of the minimum prices she had announced for flight tickets was “a complex task”. The background to this is that legal experts believe that going it alone at national level could violate current EU law. The minister was confident, however, that “a solution is possible”. State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) also described the implementation of the minimum prices as a “challenge”.

The green politician also wants to put the aviation roadmap, which was drawn up in 2017, to the test and present a new strategy for air traffic in the coming year. For autumn, she promised amendments to several pieces of legislation affecting aviation, with which, above all, technical adjustments to new developments in air traffic are to be made. In particular, unmanned aviation must be taken into account. There are new requirements through an EU regulation that comes into force at the end of the year and provides for the registration of drone pilots. This includes the creation of a corresponding database and an online check in order to obtain authorization to control drones.  

In connection with the new aviation strategy, Member of the National Council Alois Schroll (SPÖ) pointed out that the transport links to the cities of Györ, Bratislava and Budapest had to be expanded in order to maintain and upgrade the Vienna airport location. However, the politician did not say whether these should be strengthened by rail or in the form of long-distance bus services.

The FPÖ MP Hafenecker heavily criticized the planned minimum ticket prices and expressed concerns that they can be implemented at all due to current EU law. For the ÖVP, their traffic spokesman Andreas Ottenschlager replied that the focus of the ticket price is not the setting of a minimum price, as it is presented, but rather a question of the passing on of taxes and fees. He is convinced that this is the way to find an EU-compliant solution.

Neos mandate Johannes Magreiter sees the great challenge in the fact that restarting air traffic is combined with the achievement of ecological goals. In his opinion, the complete discontinuation of short trips, which hit Salzburg Airport hard, for example, “is not the last word in wisdom”.

The traffic spokesman for the Greens Hermann Weratschnig saw the question of greening air traffic as a European challenge. Although this is difficult, uniform structures have to be created; this is the only way to achieve the necessary steering effects, for example with a kerosene tax. He therefore wanted to know which climate focus areas in aviation Austria wanted to support at EU level. Martin Litschauer (Greens) said it made sense to shift short distances to the train. He also asked about the state of the Austrian aviation strategy.