Vienna Airport has experienced a strong decrease in passenger numbers and flight movements since the end of February 2020. While still operating to serve repatriation and cargo flights, at present there are only a very few regular passenger flight operations.
Austrian Airlines is transporting medical equipment on cargo flights from Asia to Austria.
The airport has put in place a crisis team, which includes all relevant units such as airside and terminal operations, security, medical services, IT, ground handling and communication.
“They are operating 24/7 and are in regular contact with all responsible stakeholders, such as health authorities, airlines, and many more,” explains Peter Kleemann, Spokesperson, Vienna Airport. “Information, flexibility and a good team is a key success factor in that specific situation.”
The crisis team holds daily meetings, as well as calls with the authorities to discuss the actual development and to plan next steps.
“There are entry screenings and home isolation for two weeks for all arriving passengers,” says Kleemann. “We have increased the cleaning procedures throughout the airport – handrails, door handles, and sanitary facilities are cleaned more frequently, and filters in ventilation systems are changed more frequently. The whole situation does also have a significant effect on the company’s business development and we have started some cost-saving measures to secure the whole organisation.”
He adds that, at present, it is very hard to give an estimation for future development. “The COVID-19 crisis is a global phenomenon, which impacts a lot of countries but in different timescales. Because of that, it may take some more time for the aviation industry to recover.”
Information displays in Vienna Airport inform travellers about the healthcare recommendations.
