Vienna Airport Wins Award as Best Airport in Europe
Vienna International Airport recently received the "Best European Airport 2022" award from the Airports Council International. The airport particularly stood out for its new Terminal 2, which was only completed this year. But the high reliability, service quality and measures to reduce CO2 were praised.
Vienna Airport received the "Best European Airport 2022" award. / Picture: © Vienna Airport / Flughafen Wien AG
Vienna Airport recently received a special award with the "Best European Airport 2022 Award". The award, which is presented by the international airport association ACI Europe (Airports Council International), primarily honours the enormous increase in quality at Vienna Airport.
This was made possible by the newly modernised Terminal 2, which was only opened this March. In addition, the high reliability and service quality of the airport and its team, as well as the consistent implementation of measures to reduce CO2 emissions were decisive for the award of the coveted prize.
The award was presented to Vienna International Airport CEO Julian Jäger during the ACI annual meeting in Rome.
Our @ACI_EUROPE Best Airport Awards 2022 have been presented yesterday night - congratulations to the winners!!
— ACI EUROPE (@ACI_EUROPE) June 24, 2022
Find out all the details (and pictures!) of the ceremony in our press release: https://t.co/n4KdpkeTqG#ACIRome2022 pic.twitter.com/Krg82HVvom
"A high quality of service for passengers, ensuring reliable and punctual airport operations and the further reduction of our CO2 emissions have always been top priorities for us as Vienna International Airport - before, during and also after the COVID 19 pandemic. With the new Terminal 2, our climate protection measures and its operational quality, the airport has made good progress and we are pleased that this is perceived in the industry and by passengers. Above all, however, this award is recognition of the outstanding performance of our employees, who work hard every day to ensure that operations at the airport run smoothly and that passengers can rely on Vienna International Airport", said the members of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG, Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner, delighted with the award.
Important international award
The "Best European Airport 2022" award is one of the most important awards in the aviation industry. European airports are analysed in the categories "under 5 million", "5-10 million", "10-25 million", "25-40 million" and over "40 million passengers" by a jury of experts with representatives from the European Commission, Eurocontrol, the European Civil Aviation Conference, the International Transport Forum and the European SESAR programme.
The categories refer to passenger numbers in 2019 before the COVID 19 pandemic, Vienna Airport recorded 31.7 million travellers this year. The categories assess how airports have managed the restart after the COVID 19 pandemic in terms of service quality and operations, as well as what measures airports are taking to improve their sustainability and what progress they are making.
A total of 10 airports were honoured, with Vienna Airport taking first place in the category "25-40 million passengers".
High reliability and service quality for passengers
How airports coped with the pandemic and the return of air traffic is one criterion for the "Best Airport" rating. Despite increasing air traffic and passenger volumes, Vienna Airport is one of the most punctual aviation hubs in Europe and waiting times at security checkpoints are currently no more than 15 minutes at peak times, even in the beginning of summer travel.
In contrast to other airports, Vienna Airport has managed the restart after the COVID 19 crisis well, as shown by the largely problem-free traffic-intensive travel days around the holidays and extended weekends in May and June.
Successful modernisation of Terminal 2
The new Terminal 2 was also rated very highly in the passenger survey. After extensive modernisation during the low-traffic pandemic years, Terminal 2 has been in operation again since the end of March 2022 and offers passengers more service quality, such as a large, central security checkpoint, additional baggage claim belts and the new Vienna Lounge on 2,400 m². To learn more about the new terminal, read this Vindobona article.
ACI recognises consistent implementation of sustainability strategy
Vienna International Airport's consistent implementation of its sustainability strategy with many measures to reduce its CO2 emissions was also recognised by ACI. Eight photovoltaic systems - including the largest in Austria with 24 hectares and 55,000 panels - produce 30% of Vienna International Airport's annual electricity consumption.
In combination with the CO2-free use of district heating by OMV, the ongoing conversion of the airport fleet to e-mobility, the large-scale use of LED lighting, energy-efficient building management for all properties at the site and Office Park 4, which is supplied with geothermal energy and photovoltaics, Vienna Airport has been able to reduce its CO2 emissions by around 70% since 2012. By 2023, Vienna Airport will already be running its operations in a CO2-neutral manner.