2023 Marks the Second-Best Traffic Results in the History of Vienna Airport: Strong growth in passenger volume to 29.5 million (+24.7%)

Traffic forecast for 2024: Approx. 30 million passengers expected

Financial outlook for 2024 foresees gratifying record levels of revenue of about € 970 million and net profit of at least € 210 million

Launch of investment drive in 2024 to enhance quality and sustainability featuring doubling of CAPEX to over € 200 million

• Passenger development in 2023: Flughafen Wien Group handles 38.0 million passengers – Vienna Airport reaches 93.3% of the pre-crisis level of 2019 with 29.5 million travellers

• Guidance for 2024: Approx. 39 million passengers expected in the Flughafen Wien Group and about 30 million at Vienna Airport

• Financial outlook for 2024: Significant improvement in the net profit for the year to at least
  € 210 million, revenue expected to climb to approx. € 970 million, increased financial strength based on EBITDA of over € 390 million, investments to exceed € 200 million, EIB loan completely repaid prematurely at the end of 2023

• Top destinations for air travel in 2023: Antalya, Mallorca and Barcelona were the most popular vacation destinations in the summer – Bangkok, New York and Taipei were the number one long-haul routes – Germany, Spain and Italy as the leading travel destinations in 2023

• Vienna Airport is increasingly investing in quality and climate protection: Ground-breaking ceremony for the Southern Expansion of Terminal 3 on 14 February 2024 – The new quick electric filling station for the Vienna Airport Region will open soon

• Airport growth brings around 700 additional employees at the airport site

“Second-best passenger results in the airport’s history – VIE is the most punctual hub in the Lufthansa Group”

“The strong desire to travel emerging after the coronavirus pandemic continued in 2023 and served as the basis for a substantial upswing in passenger volume at Vienna Airport. With 29.5 million travellers, we recorded the second-best passenger results in the entire history of the airport and thus reached 93.3% of the level generated in the record year 2019. Despite the high passenger volume, we underlined the high quality of our handling services in an international comparison. Vienna Airport is the most punctual hub in the Lufthansa Group and the third most punctual hub in Europe and is ranked 11^th among more than 500 airports included in the Skytrax ratings of the world’s best airports. I would like to particularly thank all employees whose daily commitment is the basis for our high-quality service and reliable handling at Vienna Airport. The new Southern Expansion of Terminal 3, on which construction will begin soon and which is scheduled to be put into operation in 2027, will enable us to join the ranks of the top airports across the globe. Our international strategic investments in Malta and Kosice airports already surpassed their pre-crisis passenger figures in 2019. We anticipate a normalisation of flight traffic growth rates in 2024. The extraordinarily strong catch-up effect in the past two years following the coronavirus pandemic will slow down in 2024 and we expect a passenger volume of about 30 million travellers at Vienna Airport in the entire year 2024,” explains Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of the airport operating company Flughafen Wien AG.

“Strong revenue and earnings improvement expected in 2024 – Doubling of investments to over € 200 million will be financed from our cash flow“

“With respect to its business results, Vienna Airport will continue on its growth path in 2024. Revenue is expected to rise to € 970 million, the consolidated net profit for the year should increase to at least € 210 million and EBITDA will be up to more than € 390 million, which underlines the strong financial standing of the completely debt-free company. Accordingly, at the end of 2023, the outstanding EIB loan was fully repaid ahead of schedule. Particularly at a time marked by sluggish construction activity, airport investments will double to over € 200 million. The Growth will bring at least 700 new jobs to the site. After the ground-breaking ceremony for the Southern Expansion project on 14 February 2024, a new, large electric filling station will commence operations shortly afterwards. Starting in 2025, 20,000 tonnes of biokerosene will have to be mixed with normal aviation fuel. This figure will already increase to 50,000 tonnes as of 2030 and 200,000 tonnes starting in 2035. However, the necessary production capacities are still lacking. For this reason, there is an urgent need to take action,” states Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

Passenger development in 2023: The Flughafen Wien Group handles 38.0 million passengers (+26.2%) The Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport and the international strategic investments in Malta Airport and Kosice Airport) reported an increase of passenger traffic in the period January-December 2023 to a total of 37,958,240 travellers, comprising a rise of 26.2% year-on-year. Group passenger traffic in 2023 was down by only 4.0% from the pre-crisis level of 2019.

Passenger development in 2023: 29.5 million passengers at Vienna Airport (+24.7%) – Aircraft capacity utilization of 80.5% higher than before the pandemic
Vienna Airport registered a rise in the number of passengers it handled in the year 2023, recording a total of 29,533,186 travellers, up 24.7% from the previous year or 93.3% of the pre-crisis level of 2019. The number of local passengers climbed by 28.2% to 22,831,334 travellers, whereas transfer passenger traffic was up 14.3% to 6,620,862. Capacity utilisation of the aircraft (seat load factor) also improved, equalling 80.5% for the entire year 2023 (+ 2.8pp vs. 2022) and thus 3.1 percentage points above the seat load factor in the record year of 2019. Cargo volume (air cargo and trucking) showed a slight downward development, declining by 2.2% in the year 2023 to 245,009 tonnes.

Top travel destinations in 2023: London in Western Europe, Bucharest in Eastern Europe, Bangkok as the top long-haul route

The most popular vacation destinations for flights departing from Vienna Airport in 2023 were Antalya, Mallorca and Barcelona. Bangkok, New York and Taipei were the top three among long-haul routes. Germany, Spain and Italy were the most popular country destinations. Italy, Greece and Turkey recorded the strongest passenger growth in 2023 compared to 2019 i.e., in the year before the outbreak of the pandemic.

Passenger records of international strategic investments

In 2023, the international strategic investments of the Flughafen Wien Group even succeeded in surpassing the pre-crisis level. Malta Airport reported a passenger volume of 7,803,042 travellers in 2023, representing a rise of 33.4% from the previous year and 6.7% higher than the pre-crisis level of 2019. Kosice Airport handled 622,012 passengers in 2023, comprising a year-on-year increase of 15.2% or 12.0% above the pre-crisis year of 2019.

Traffic guidance for 2024: About 39.0 million passengers expected in the Flughafen Wien Group and about 30.0 million passengers at Vienna AirportFlughafen Wien AG expects approx. 30.0 million passengers at Vienna Airport and about 39.0 million passengers in the entire Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport and the international strategic investments in Malta Airport and Kosice Airport) in 2024.

Financial guidance for 2024
Flughafen Wien AG expects total revenue of approx. € 970 million in 2024, along with an EBITDA of more than € 390 million and a consolidated net profit for the year before minority interests of at least
€ 210 million. Total investments are anticipated to surpass € 200 million. 

The current passenger and financial guidance are based on the assumption that there will not be any additional adverse geopolitical effects or massive restrictions on flight traffic. 

Travel experience in a class of its own: Ground-breaking ceremony for the Southern Expansion project on 14 February 2024

Vienna Airport will construct the “Southern Expansion of Terminal 3” as a means of further improving service quality for its passengers. The building extension to Terminal 3 will offer approx. 70,000 m² of space, including comfortable waiting and lounge areas, additional bus gates and numerous new shopping and restaurant offerings featuring more than 30 new outlets. Particular emphasis will be placed on Austrian cuisine and local brands. The new building will also provide convenient transfer connections between the F, G and D gates. The centralised security checks from Terminal 3 will take place in the new Terminal 3 Southern Expansion in the future, thus creating even more leisure areas. The ground-breaking ceremony will take place on 14 February 204. The new Southern Expansion will be put into operation in 2027. Passengers will enjoy a new travel experience against the backdrop of a modern atmosphere.

Boom in business location projects adds 700 new employees

2023 turned out to be a record year for the AirportCity. A total of 20 companies with more than 700 employees located their business operations at the airport site.

EU standard for the gradual ecologisation off light traffic requires an urgent action plan

Starting next year, 20,000 tonnes of biokerosene will already have to be mixed with normal aviation fuel at Vienna Airport in order to fulfil the stipulations of the EU guidelines. This figure will already increase to 50,000 tonnes as of 2030 and 200,000 tonnes starting in 2035. However, sufficient production capacities are nowhere in sight at the present time. For this reason, an action plan to achieve these targets is urgently needed. Proceeds from the air transport levy should be used to fund this undertaking.

Traffic results in December 2023: Ongoing good passenger development at the end of the year

Flughafen Wien Group: 2.8 million passengers in December 2023 (+16.0%)
In December 2023, the number of passengers handled by the Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport, Malta Airport, Kosice Airport) equalled 2,751,613 travellers (+16.0% vs. December 2022). Accordingly, total Group passenger volume in December 2023 was about 7.3% lower than the pre-crisis level of December 2019.

Vienna Airport: 2.2 million passengers in December 2023 (+13.9%)
The number of passengers handled by Vienna Airport in the month of December 2023 also improved to 2,188,686 travellers, or 13.9% higher than in the prior-year months. Accordingly, passenger traffic was 11.3% below the comparable level reported in the pre-crisis month of December 2019.

Traffic results in December 2023 in detail

The number of local passengers at Vienna Airport climbed 16.9% from the previous year to 1,806,440 travellers, whereas transfer passenger traffic rose 1.3% to 374,462. The number of flight movements in December 2023 rose to 16,490 (+9.2% vs. December 2022). In contrast, cargo volume at Vienna Airport fell slightly by 2.3% from the comparable figure of December 2022 to 20,527 tonnes.
 
The total number of passengers at Vienna Airport flying to destinations in Western Europe in December 2023 was up by 19.4% year-on-year to 760,587, whereas Eastern European traffic increased to a total of 178,496 passengers (+5.1%). Passenger traffic to North America equalled 28,263 passengers (+14.2%), and the number of passengers flying to Africa dropped 2.6% to 26,577. Passenger volume to the Middle East fell to 65,190 travellers in December 2022 (-13.4%), whereas passenger traffic flying to East Asian destinations amounted to 40,798 passengers (+30.9%).

In December 2023, Malta Airport reported an increase in passenger volume to 529,041 travellers (+25.5%) compared to the previous year, which is already 10.8% higher than the pre-crisis level of 2019. The total number of passengers handled at Kosice Airport climbed to 33,383 (+24.0%), or 35.9% higher than the figure in the pre-crisis year of 2019.

Details on traffic results for December 2023 can be found in the table below.

Traffic Development 2023

Note: Total number of passengers includes local, transfer and transit passengers,

Traffic data adjusted.

Disclaimer

All statements made in this press release that refer to future developments of Flughafen Wien AG/Flughafen-Wien-Group are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the management. If the premises for these forecasts do not occur or risks indicated in the risk report arise, actual results may vary from these estimates. Despite the utmost care, all forward-looking statements are therefore made without guarantee and Flughafen Wien AG/Flughafen-Wien-Group assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact: Corporate Communications Flughafen Wien AG  

Press Office      Investor Relations
Peter Kleemann, Company Spokesman  Bernd Maurer

Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23000    Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23126

E-mail: p.kleemann@viennaairport.com  E-mail: b.maurer@viennaairport.com

Website: www.viennaairport.com