At Vienna-Schwechat Airport, passengers finally have to say goodbye to the B gates, because they have had their day. The airport is currently building a new non-Schengen bus arrival in the area, also known colloquially as the “cellar”.

This is already in operation as a provisional solution, but not yet in its final form. For example, there are currently no electronic passport controls, only personal checks by police officers. These are currently using temporary “houses”. After completion of the conversion work, the non-Schengen arrivals in the area of ​​the now former B gates will be state-of-the-art.

Visually, apart from the glazing, there is little to remind you that passengers once waited here for their passengers to board the bus. There was also a security check and a lounge at the B gates until the temporary closure of terminal complex 1+2. A small "Siko" still exists, as this serves travelers who arrive non-Schengen and have a connecting flight to a Schengen destination. For legal reasons, these must be checked again. There is also a shuttle bus to gate zones F and G, which are located in Terminal 3.

Flughafen Wien AG did not say when the construction work on the former B piers will be completed. This zone was rarely used before the Corona pandemic. The additional C bus gates, which were completed shortly before the crisis, serve as a replacement, but were only activated when the C and D gates were put back into operation.