Vienna Airport: Wizz Air and Ryanair are withdrawing due to high costs

Vienna Airport: Wizz Air and Ryanair are withdrawing due to high costs

The future of Vienna-Schwechat Airport is in the balance. Given the airlines' increased costs and shorter flight schedules, negative passenger development is expected next year. Wizz Air announced on September 10 that it would suspend some flights from the end of October and plans to close its base in Vienna by March 2026. Ryanair will also reduce its presence and withdraw three of the 19 aircraft stationed in Vienna. Both airlines criticize the site's sharp increase in airport fees and taxes, which are a result of the extraordinary increase in operating costs in recent years. Wizz Air highlights that fees have increased significantly since 2018. A circumstance that Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary describes as “absurdly high” and calls for an urgently needed reduction in fees.

Vienna Airport regrets the airlines' decisions and warns of the possible impact on overall passenger development, which should reach a record this year. The airport management has already called for a reduction in the flight tax to politicians. This tax brings in around 170 million euros annually and is linked to the consumer price index and traffic growth. From January 1, 2026, fees could be reduced by up to five percent, as the special Corona regulation, which did not allow a reduction, will then expire. The Ministry of Mobility (BMIMI) could play a crucial role here, as it is responsible for approving the fees.

Short routes and departure from airlines

In concrete steps, Ryanair plans to discontinue three routes in its winter flight schedule: Billund in Denmark, Santander in Spain and Tallinn in Estonia. In addition, many other compounds are also thinned out. O’Leary recently met with Chancellor Christian Stocker and Transport Minister Peter Hanke in Vienna to discuss possible cost reductions. Unfortunately, he is dissatisfied with the government's accommodation. The focus here is on the high location costs in Austria, especially the air traffic tax, which also does not exist in many other EU countries.

Ryanair has seen 160 percent growth since the pandemic and plans to base ten more aircraft in Austria by 2030 if costs fall. The long-term goal is to increase passenger numbers from the current 7 million to 12 million per year and thus create new jobs. But O'Leary warns urgently: Without a drastic cost reduction, 1.5 to 2 million fewer passengers could be drawn to Vienna, which would not only drive up prices on the ticket markets, but also jeopardize the planned growth targets.

A broader European context

The background to these developments also takes a look beyond national borders: A recently published study by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport in Germany sheds light on the location costs in European air transport and shows that high fees have also increased in Germany by 38 percent since 2019. The European average was an increase of 26 percent. Many airlines are fighting such conditions with all their might, but without changes, competitiveness could become even more difficult across Europe. Particularly expensive hubs such as Amsterdam and London have performed better in comparison.

In summary, Vienna-Schwechat Airport is facing a critical time. The airlines' announcements suggest that both passengers and employees in the aviation industry could be affected by the declining number of connections. If the required adjustments are not implemented quickly, Vienna's aviation sector could not only lose momentum, but also lose international importance.