Airport Takes Stock of 2023

2023 with more passengers / recovery to 2018 level still ongoing / summer and winter outlook with more frequencies and new destinations / expectations for winter business good / airport preparing for major investment until 2030 / largest customer Lufthansa Group / 1.66 million passengers targeted for 2024

All in all, the past financial year 2023 was very satisfactory. A total of 1,614,601 passengers were handled at Salzburg Airport, which corresponds to an increase of 31.3% compared to the previous year. "The period between 2020 and 2022 was tough for Salzburg Airport because we felt the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The airport was immensely affected by the travel restrictions, but the recovery course is clearly set and there is a tailwind again," says Stefan Schnöll, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Deputy Governor. The 2023/2024 winter season already saw 98 landings and 97 take-offs on the busiest day (February 17) and 750,000 passengers were handled in the first three months of 2024. "Even though the pre-crisis level is not expected to be reached until the end of 2025, we are experiencing the upturn. New airlines, new flight connections and frequency increases are strengthening both the company and the region. Domestic tourism and commercial enterprises in particular are benefiting from the airport, which is reflected in the added value and the associated jobs for the federal state," Schnöll continues.

A colorful mix of numerous attractive summer destinations and a positive outlook for the upcoming winter season bring optimism. In addition to day-to-day business, all departments at the airport are preparing for the planning year 2025, as the upcoming renewal of the terminal landscape must be planned very meticulously and in detail before the reconstruction begins in 2026. "Before construction begins, our owners must have clear plans on the table as to what the new terminal landscape should look like and what it must be able to do in the future in order to meet technical requirements as well as operational needs and regulatory requirements. In addition to this major project, in which all of the airport's specialist departments are involved, we are also running our day-to-day business, which is called 'Fly from Salzburg'. We have a clear mandate from our owners to connect the federal state of Salzburg with the major economic centers and at the same time offer Salzburg residents and guests from the surrounding regions great vacation and city flights," says Bettina Ganghofer, Managing Director of the airport, on the challenges of the current financial year.

The 2023 results in detail
"It is developing bit by bit, and I hope that the catch-up process will be completed by the end of 2025. In 2023, we had a pleasing increase of 31.3% in our passenger numbers with only 15.7% growth in flight movements, which shows that the aircraft to and from Salzburg were well utilized," Ganghofer continues.

The airport's primary goal is to maintain the existing network, to expand it moderately and, of course, to keep the focus on new routes, new airlines and frequency increases. In order to achieve this as desired, in addition to detailed market research and market observations, the active and very rigorous personal exchange between the airport, airline partners and tour operators must be promoted. 

Factsheet 2023 Traffic (percentage change compared to the previous year's figures for 2022)

Outlook for 2024 (January 1 to May 31, 2024 compared to 2023)

Austrian aviation is recovering, around 7.2 million passengers were counted at the six Austrian commercial airports in the first quarter of 2024, which corresponds to a year-on-year increase of 10.4% for Austria as a whole. In Salzburg, a total of 6,841 flight movements were recorded from the beginning of 2024 to the end of May 2024 (-1.0%) with 836,606 passengers (+ 6.59%). 

Airport as an investor: just over 6 million euros in 2023 

Airports are not only large infrastructure facilities for flight operations, but also offer guests much more, from shopping facilities to restaurants. 
Efficiency is the catchphrase that is integrated into all processes and procedures, especially at airports. Every product, every purchase and every tool for the airport's infrastructure has a clearly defined life cycle. "Our aim is to continuously update the airport and invest in the infrastructure so that we can offer all passengers the best possible comfort. Over the next few years, we will therefore create a modern, energy-saving and functional terminal. " says Schnöll about the terminal conversion plans for the coming years.

ATTENTION: The investments listed here for 2023 also include multi-year projects; the amounts described relate exclusively to payments in the 2023 financial year! Around 6 million euros were invested in total

Urgently needed investments were made in 2023 so that the airport's infrastructure can continue to be kept up to date. "After expenses had to be reeled in in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and many projects and investments were postponed or suspended, it was possible to make up for some of this in 2023. In total, more than 6 million euros were invested in the future of Salzburg, because a well-situated airport benefits the entire region. We will also be investing in the future of Salzburg Airport again in 2024; as in the previous year, many multi-year projects are affected," says Ganghofer about the urgently needed investments. 

2023 - an investment year 

• Replacement of screening equipment for large baggage to EU standard 3 in the HBS area (1.5 million) 
• Modification of baggage conveyor system (1.4 million)
• EES (biometric entry/exit system) for the automatic monitoring of travel movements of third-country nationals at the external borders of the Schengen area (0.98 million)
• PV system for parking garage roofs (0.46 million)
• IT (hardware and software in the amount of 0.46 million)
• Adaptations and purchase of new equipment (0.316 million) such as passenger bus conversion to electric drive, sweeper, forklift, electric car, various small appliances
• Construction measures and various small projects (around 0.6 million)
• Materials for the fire department (0.52 million)