Flughafen Wien AG

Flughafen Wien AG, joint-stock company listed on the Stock Exchange, successor to the Betriebsgesellschaft des Wiener Flughafens founded in 1954, runs Vienna International Airport. The Vienna Airport was built in 1938 for military purposes on a stretch of land between Schwechat and Fischamend and taken over by the Allied forces in 1945. As the importance and volume of air traffic increased (Austrian Airlines Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG) the facility was gradually extended: In 1959 the runway was extended to 3000 m in length, a new terminal building was erected in 1960 and a second runway of 3600 m length built in 1972. In 1982 the airport was linked with Vienna by a motorway (A4). The World Trade Center was opened in 1990 and the new Terminal 1 in 1992. The Pier West terminal was completed in 1996 and a year later the older runway extended to 3500 m. Vienna International Airport is the most important of the Austrian Airports and handled more than 9.7 million passengers in 1997; total turnover amounted to ATS 4.1 billion and the number of employees to 2400.

Literature: H. Lunzer, Flughafen Wien-Schwechat: eine politisch-ökonomische Analyse der Entstehungsgeschichte 1938-1960, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1994.