Klagenfurt Airport ( ) is a primary international airport near Klagenfurt, the sixth-largest city in Austria. It is located in the borough of Annabichl, north-north-east of the city centre. In April 2015, Austrian Airlines also announced that a closure of their domestic route to Vienna was under consideration within the next few years based on economic reasons.

As the airport suffered from a major decrease of passenger numbers in recent years, it was suggested by the management to establish major logistics and cargo operators here, which might be supported by the freight shipment operations handled at the relatively closely located harbours of the Adriatic Sea. The airport already features road and rail connections. However, Austrian Airlines stated later that the airport would not work for cargo operations due to noise complaints and the night curfew.

In October 2015, the Austrian Air Force announced it would end all operations and close its helicopter base at Klagenfurt Airport by the end of 2015.

Developments since 2020

In August 2020, Ryanair announced plans to leave the airport and terminate their route to Palma de Mallorca Airport, which had been operated as a wetlease by Lauda. However, Ryanair returned with four destinations in 2023. Previously there was ongoing controversy between Lilihill and the state of Carinthia, which proposed to buy back the airport, leaving the Liliair project in doubt. In April 2023, Lilihill Group announced that a Liliair home base in Klagenfurt has become unlikely due to the ongoing dispute. In May 2023, the city of Klagenfurt and the state of Carinthia announced it would execute a buy-back option and re-acquired majority ownership of the airport after longstanding debate.

Facilities

Klagenfurt Airport consists of one small passenger terminal building which features some shops and restaurants as well as a visitors terrace. The apron provides several stands for mid-sized planes such as the Airbus A320 as well as smaller general aviation aircraft. As there are no jet bridges, buses are used for boarding.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines offer year-round and seasonal scheduled and charter flights at Klagenfurt Airport:

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The nearest larger international airport is Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport in Slovenia, approximately to the south.

Statistics

<!---->

thumb|Terminal building

thumb|Apron view

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; "

|+ Traffic by calendar year. Official statistics

|-

! !! Passengers !! Change !! Aircraft operations !! Change

|-

!1980

|82,151 || - || 3,083 || -

|-

!1990

|148,062 || 80.23% || 5,209 || 68.96%

|-

!2000

|235,503 || 59.06% || 8,325 || 59.82%

|-

!2005

|522,697 || 121.95% || 8,907 || 6.99%

|-

!2010

|425,933 || -18.51% || 7,482 || -16.00%

|-

!2011

|375,307 || -11.89% || 6,451 || -13.78%

|-

!2012

|279,045 || -25.65% || 4,576 || -29.07%

|-

!2013

|258,421 || -7.39% || 4,262 || -6.86%

|-

!2014

|224,846 || -12.99% || 3,920 || -8.02%

|-

!2015

|227,625|| 1.24% || 3,922 || 0.05%

|-

!2016

|193,709|| -14.90% || 3,392 || -13.51%

|-

!2017

|216,905|| 11.97% || 3,700 || 9,08%

|-

!2018

|228,372|| 5.29% || 3,566 || -3,62%

|-

!2019

|209,278|| -8.36% || - ||

|-

!2020

|49,395|| -23.6% || 439 || -

|-

!2021

|29,359|| -59.44% || 272 || -61,96%

|-

!2022

|82,431|| 280,77% || 664 || 244,12%

|-

!2023

|153,168|| 185,81% || 924 || 139,16%

|-

!2024

|137,807|| -8,99% || 877 || -9,49%

|-

| colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" |<small>Source: Klagenfurt Airport's official website, Statistik Austria</small>

|}

Ground transportation

Train

The train station "Klagenfurt-Annabichl" is a 5–10 minutes (750 meters) walk from the terminal and offers suburban rail services every half-hour to St.Veit (and beyond), to Klagenfurt main station, to the villages along Lake Wörthersee, and to Villach (and beyond).

Road

The airport has its own exit named Klagenfurt Flughafen on the nearby motorway A2, which leads to Vienna and Italy. A regular suburban bus service connects the airport with the city centre including the Klagenfurt central station. There is also a coach connection between Klagenfurt Airport and Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, which is served several times a day.

See also

  • Transport in Austria
  • List of airports in Austria

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Flughafen Klagenfurt, Paul Posch, P. 1995 Magistrat der Landeshauptstadt, Klagenfurt, Abt. Kultur, 182 p.&nbsp;
  • Official website
  • Accident history for KLU at Aviation Safety Network