Third runway for Vienna

A third runway at Vienna Airport, Austria, has been approved on appeal following years of opposition from local residents.

The company that runs Vienna Airport, Flughafen Wien, said it welcomed the positive decision from the Supreme Administrative Court on the third runway.

Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner, members of the management board of Flughafen Wien, said, “Today is an important and positive day for Austria as a business and tourism location. An overly-long process has come to a positive and incontestable decision.

“This decision ensures the long-term growth perspectives and competitiveness, not only for Vienna Airport but for the Austrian economy, industry, tourism and labour market.”

The airport said it would now analyse the court decision in detail and provide information about the next steps in the near future.

The company has previously said that the third runway was of vital importance for the future of Vienna International Airport. It said the expected long-term developments in international aviation could not be handled effectively with the current system of two intersecting runways, and that it would not be acceptable for local inhabitants either.

It said that an additional take-off and landing runway would also reduce delays, fuel consumption and noise by doing away with holding patterns and queued aircraft during busy periods.